She's a sort of accidental protagonist unwittingly transforming lives as she goes. Tykwer combines cartoon, photo stills, video footage and 35mm film, the movie swapping between them. Run Lola Run is like a big screen computer game, with Lola as a sort of punk Lara Croft racing against time to save her man. The repetition of her sprinting creates and sustains the pulsing energy and urgency needed to make this up-beat film. But as soon as the questions are asked they are dismissed.
Life is a game.
But as soon as the questions are asked they are dismissed. Life is really just a game. The film depicts, to some degree, cause and effect - actions have consequences. But in answering those big questions, this movie resoundingly favours chance as the determining factor in our existence. Lola herself makes an impression on those around her but even that is beyond her control.