Run Lola Run - Movement

In a film with "run" in the title it is assumed that there will be lots of movement throughout and Run Lola Run does not defy that theory. Clearly, this film offers up a lot for discussion.

Two scenes stood out to me. The first scene, though fairly minor, lets the viewer know just how Manni’s world is beginning to unravel. During Lola’s first run, Manni is on the phone in the phone booth and things are clearly not going to plan. The camera pans from left to right from behind the booth to the side. It stops briefly for him to finish his call. It’s a medium-length shot with a wide-angle lens. Manni is obviously upset with the situation and time is running out. As he turns and exits the phone booth the camera pans quickly and smoothly with him slightly more than halfway around the booth. Other than being a nice effect, the camera panning is very disorienting and dizzying. The camera comes to a stop only when the blind woman takes a hold of Manni’s hand (she is Manni’s Tiresias). This type of panning is very unnatural to the human eye. In real life, the human eye has a tendency to skip through a scene and pick up important visual cues along the way. The motion of the camera indicates just how far Manni’s situation is spiraling out of control.

The other scene(s) is when Lola is in her father’s office. Prior to Lola entering the office the camera is very steady. After she enters the camera is clearly handheld and it shows just how agitated Lola is. She’s out of breath, sweaty, and talking rapidly. In contrast, her father is the complete opposite. In the second run, both she and her father are agitated.

Throughout the film the camera movements vary. Even during Lola’s running scenes, some shots are handheld and very close to the action; other shots use a dolly, while others are far away from the action.