By Robert Scucci
| Published
The debate over determinism versus free will is as old as our collective consciousness, and has been explored in the media countless times over the decades. Having recently watched the Season 2 episode of Malcolm in the Middle called “Bowling,” I was reminded how a simple change in routine could lead to different outcomes for every party involved when the Wilkerson family saw itself on two different timelines – one involving Hal taking the boys bowling, and one with Lois doing so in his place. With each timeline revealing its own unique set of consequences, I couldn’t help but think of 1998’s Run Lola Run, which similarly explores fate in its relationship to circumstance, but also operates on a time-loop, allowing you to see how seemingly innocuous actions can influence a story’s overall outcome.
While Run Lola Run is a German-language film, you have the free will to throw on the subtitles and watch a heist gone wrong play out through a series of alternate realities in which the smallest decisions have the potential to drastically change the course of events.
Unfortunately, this critically acclaimed title isn’t found anywhere on streaming, but you can snag an on-demand copy for a nominal fee if you want to be in control of your destiny while watching somebody else figure out their own through trial and error.
It’s The Same Act Three Times
Run Lola Run is very much a race against the clock after Lola (Franka Potente) receives a frantic phone call from her boyfriend, Manni (Moritz Bleibtreu), who misplaced a bag containing 100,000 Deutsche Mark. Revealing that he only has 20 minutes to recover the funds or his boss, Ronnie (Heino Ferch), will kill him, Lola bursts into a sprint knowing that she doesn’t have long to rectify the situation.
Operating on a time loop, Run Lola Run stylishly zeroes in on Lola’s surroundings as she tears through the city streets thinking that her bank manager father (Herbert Knaup) may be able to help her and Manni procure the funds needed to placate Ronnie, allowing Manni to live to see another day. Knowing that Manni plans to rob a supermarket if she doesn’t show up with a bag of money on time, Lola has to think deliberately, as every single encounter she has along the way will influence whether the couple will look back at everything and laugh, or tragically succumb to the whims of an unforgiving deterministic timeline that they’re powerless to break free from.
Lola Gets Smarter
With its timeline resetting each time our hero’s missteps lead to a less-than-desirable outcome, Run Lola Run hints at the fact that she has a vague recollection of what went wrong before starting all over again, allowing her to course-correct and have some sort of control over her destiny. Will tripping down the stairs cause a delay that’s crucial to Lola and Manni’s survival? Or should she watch her step when somebody’s trying to trip her because those few extra seconds of recovery after taking a nasty spill are valuable time that she needs and can’t get back?
What’s more, Run Lola Run hints at how Lola’s actions could have a profound influence over the people she bumps into while running faster than Tom Cruise in Edge of Tomorrow. Through a series of rapid-fire snapshots, it’s revealed how these small encounters set off a butterfly effect that could alter everybody else’s timeline because bumping into an old lady on the sidewalk delays her from getting to where she needs to go, and so on …
Watching Run Lola Run
Every action has a consequence, and Run Lola Run explores these consequences in its effort to determine whether we have any say in how our lives play out based on decisions that are more often than not made with little to no deliberate thought. There are simply too many variables to count – from what pants we choose to wear before going out to what gas station we stop at on our commute – in our day to day lives – all of which could alter our own timelines in infinite, irreversible ways if we don’t consider our options and their influence on our immediate surroundings.
If you’re looking to get a little existential, or maybe just looking for a movie that makes you want to step up your cardio game (I watched this while getting my steps in on the treadmill because I’m a masochist), you can rent Run Lola Run on Prime Video, Apple TV+, and Fandango at Home, as of this writing.
