Amy likes Postmodernism

Postmodernity and Representation in ‘Run Lola Run’ – First Run

Postmodernity

·          The concept of the film can be summed up in a nutshell – Lola must obtain 100,000 Deutschmarks in the space of 20 minutes, in order to save her boyfriend Manni’s life. This simple concept is all on the surface and does not challenge any sort of depth, and represents the false reality of movies. They are not real, and the three different outcomes of Run Lola Run show movies are not a true representation of real life- life and death is played with, and the protagonist gets the opportunity to start again, much like an avatar in a video game.

·          The editing and music used in the film is used for the sole purpose of making it look and sound good when being watched. Both aspects compliment the fast pace of the action being seen, and it is exciting to watch. The music is not meant to make a huge statement; it is just fun, and enjoyable, and a statement of pop culture.

·          The beginning of the first run sees quick-pace cuts of random people, as Lola thinks of who could help her in her situation. However, this is a clear expression of postmodernism as this is purely visual, we never see the majority of these people again in the rest of the film, it is completely random, and we learn no more about them- no depth is explored.

Representation

·          The first run begins with the uniting of live action and cartoon, as a cartoonistic man appears on screen, immediately reinforcing the false reality of the film – cartoons do not exist in ‘real life’ they are a product of fiction and the media, and therefore this shatters any possibility of the concept of the film being ‘real’.

·          As the run begins, we are taken into the intra-intra-diegetic gaze of cartoon Lola being shown on the television in the lounge. Lola’s appearance is heavily cartoonistic, from the bright coloured clothing, combat belt and boots, and her bright red hair gives her a comic book/superhero image. This shows her as invincible- she runs constantly for a long period of time and is barely seen to flinch from it. This further hints at the video game style of the film, she is given many ‘lives’ and is represented as superhuman.

·          When Lola goes to the bank to ask for the money from her father, as she gets more and more agitated she finally screams so loudly and so high-pitched that she shatters the glass clock on the wall. This represents the ‘shattering’ of the time and narrative, and although time is one of the most crucial concepts in the film as the 20 minute time slot is the reason for the high-pace pressure, the retracting of previous events and return to the equilibrium three times eliminates the relation between time and ‘last chances’- she is given 3 opportunities to settle Manni’s fate.