(Assignment 1: Part 2)
What starts off as a fast-paced, action-packed race against the clock to save Mannie from a bloody fate comes to an abrupt and startling halt about 30 minutes into the film when Lola is shot in the street. One third of the way through the movie, what awaits us with our protagonist dead?
The first major plot twist comes with the rewind of the clock, the restart of the run, and we see Lola alive and well and at the beginning of her journey again. Seemingly given a second chance, we are thrown into the fast-paced rush of Lola leaving her apartment, only to start seeing minor changes to the story we thought we already knew.
– As Lola runs down the stairs, instead of the dog barking at her, the man trips her, resulting in an injury that slows her down more than the first time.
– Due to her being slower this time around, instead of her father and Frau Hansen being interrupted and Lola being escorted out of the bank calmly, there is now enough time for Hansen to reveal that the baby she is pregnant with is not Lola’s father’s. This escalates the situation on multiple accounts, where her father and Hansen are arguing now, and instead of leaving the bank, Lola robs her father for the 100,000 marks that Mannie needs.
– Lola is able to reach Mannie before he enters the grocery store, preventing the robbery and from the two of them running from the police and getting shot down. However, as there is no longer urgency or street blockades, Mannie is hit by a speeding ambulance and dies in the street, effectively starting the loop again.
The story butterflies, showing us how the events of the film vary wildly due to seemingly minor character decisions and changes in direction. Now, the second major plot twist and the third round of chance for this scenario:
– Running down the stairs, Lola jumps over the lunging dog, keeping her stride and time.
– She nearly collides with the man on the bicycle this time, and we have another plot twist or deviation, as we break away from following Lola to instead follow this man (00:57:08, Tykwer). This man stops at a food stand, where the homeless man who stole the 100,000 marks buys the bike off him.
– Further on, Lola stumbles across the hood of Mr. Meyers’ car, who, until now, had no speaking lines or known connection to Lola. As he stops in the driveway, he avoids an accident with the white car, allowing him to arrive on time at the bank to pick up Lola’s father, effectively eliminating him as an option for Lola to pursue for the marks.
– Without access to the bank, Lola decides to try her luck at the casino to get the necessary 100,000 marks to save Mannie
– Meanwhile, now that the homeless man has a bike, he passes by Mannie, who recognizes him and starts chasing him down to retrieve the stolen money.
Both Lola and Mannie both succeed in obtaining the necessary 100,00 marks independently, ending the repeating cycle.
The two previous renditions, highlighted and reflected by the transitional scenes where they are lying in bed, share two different sides: the first run, where Lola dies, she asks Mannie if he would leave her (as it is embodied in the scene where he did not wait for her, and instead moved to rob the grocery store). Compared to the second run, where Mannie asks her what she would do if he were to die.
Now, on the third run, there is some semblance of growth on both of their parts, where they take responsibility and action within their own narratives.
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