Project 1B
Film & Sequence
DDWO001
Stefanie Louys 3475135
About Tom Tykwer's Run Lola Run (1998)
Tom Tykwer is interested in how a minor difference in detail can completely alter a certain story or life. His film Run Lola Run (1998) is a depiction of this idea, presenting the same scenario three times, “[taking] on new sardonic twists with each new permutation” (Maslin, 1999) in which each outcome is entirely different due to the slight differences in the series of events during the day.
This film tells the story of a woman, Lola, and her boyfriend Manny in an erratic rush to get 100,000 Deutschmarks in 20 minutes, in order to save Manny from being killed by a drug dealer. The film is split into three separate versions of how the day could have turned out differently depending on the timing of seemingly meaningless events throughout the day. The first two scenarios are unsuccessful, and in the third Lola and Manny both manage to find the 100,000 Deutschmarks in time.
Fast changes in frame, the motif of the colour red, animation, repetition of settings, and an intense soundtrack, all contribute to the hectic and anxious way in which the directors present for the audience to see the world as Lola does.
Kazte Rennt: My adaptation of the film
My film draws from the attempted robbery aspect seen in the film through each scenario. In the case of my own work, Lola stealing money is replaced by my pet cats stealing a sandwich. I have also utilised fast changing frames, the colour red, animation, repetition of setting, and an intense soundtrack to my own work, interpreting and re-imagining Tykwer’s ideas in a completely new setting and storyline.
Through the use of my cats, I was able to reflect Lola's frantic run through Berlin in my own film, whilst dealing with the constraints of being in lockdown during a global pandemic. Having a smaller subject meant that the key aspect of the film, being running through a city, could be mimicked by my cats running through the relatively large space of my apartment compared to their smaller statures.
RED
The colour red can be seen throughout both Run Lola Run (1998) and my own short film Katze Rennt. The use of this colour can be interpreted as relating to the danger of Lola’s robbery attempts and stress, as well as the passion she has for saving her boyfriends life, risking her own in the process. Additionally, the colour signifies failure at the end of the first two scenarios.
I have also incorporated the motif of red in my own film, as a more subtle nod to the heavy inspiration taken from Tykwer’s film. Whilst reflecting the colour usage in Run Lola Run (1998), the colour red also signifies the danger in pets stealing their owner’s food, the passion these cats have for obtaining the sandwich, and also the failure, or restart, between scenes. My own use of the colour red is seen in the above frames (top row: scenes from Run Lola Run (1998, bottom row: scenes from Katze Rennt 2021).
Animation
Tom Tykwer states in an interview at the Berlin International Film Festival in 2018 that the reasoning behind the incorporation of animation into Run Lola Run (1998), was a want of the directors to “try everything” (Berlinale, 2018, 37:35). I too took on this approach of trying everything in developing my own brief animation to add to my adaptation of the film (top row: scenes from Run Lola Run 1998, bottom row: scenes from Katze Rennt 2021).
Repeated Settings
One of the most noticeable aspects of Run Lola Run (1998) is the repetition of Lola running through the same settings in each of the three scenarios. This enhances the idea that it really is the smallest details that can completely alter the course of a day, month, or story, and as Tykwer states “lead you somewhere completely different than you were expecting to in your life” (Classifilm, 2020, 1:09). I have incorporated this theme into my own film, capturing my cats running through the same places in each scenario as they attempt to steal a sandwich.
My Manifesto: Katze Rennt
The purpose of my film is to express that, through a forked paths story, seemingly minor insignificances are able to influence the rest of our lives. I set out to transform the space of my Sydney apartment into the setting for an action short film, creating a sense of chaos, manic and high energy in an otherwise relatively calm space. This will be achieved through the adaptation of the techniques and ideas of Tom Tykwer and his film Run Lola Run (1998).
Katze Rennt: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LW5AZMMzUq4
References
Berlinale - Berlin International Film Festival. (YouTube Channel). (2018). Tom Tykwer: From "Run Lola Run" to "Babylon Berlin" | Berlinale Talents 2018. [YouTube Video]. Berlinale. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gSq_Ko5NTBk
Classifilm. (YouTube Channel). (2020). Interview with Tom Tykwer on Run Lola Run (1999). [YouTube Video]. Classifilm. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w2jzmkx9n5c
Maslin, J. (1999, March 26). FILM FESTIVAL REVIEW; a dangerous game with several endings. The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/1999/03/26/movies/film-festival-review-a-dangerous-game-with-several-endings.html
Tykwer, T. (Director). (1998). Run Lola Run. [Film]. X-Filme Creative Pool
