Run Lola Run

Name: Run Lola Run
Released: 1998

Tom Tykwer · 1998 · Film

Explore this on the mapTrace its ancestors and descendants live in the tree.

This non-linear, fast-paced film visually and narratively demonstrates the butterfly effect and the concept of multiple potential realities unfolding from a single moment, emphasizing the impact of small choices.

What it is

Lola has 20 minutes to find 100,000 Deutsche Marks to save her boyfriend's life. The film explores three distinct scenarios, each starting from the same moment but diverging based on slight variations in Lola's actions or chance encounters, leading to different outcomes.

↑Inherited from(1)

The Man in the High Castle· 1962↑ open

While not alternate history, the core idea of a single moment or decision leading to drastically different realities or futures, creating a sense of 'what if,' has a conceptual resonance with alternate history narratives.

↓Passed on to(1)

Donnie Darko· 2001↓ open

The film's experimental narrative structure, exploring multiple outcomes from a critical moment and the concept of a character being aware of or influenced by these potential realities, strongly informed the temporal and reality-bending elements of 'Donnie Darko'.