Run Lola Run

The post-modern society is seen to be one in which we are prevented from connecting to others as we are subjected to the whims of time. Time identifies their ‘destiny’ which serves to illustrate that we are imprisoned inside of a ‘game’ and that the only way to escape is by taking risks and ‘gambling’. The uses of jump cuts, visual symbolism, repetition and camera angles such as overhead shots depicted through the graphical artistry of M.C Escher and his lithograph ‘Relativity’ and by the German film director Tom Tykwer through his cinematic film ‘Run Lola Run’ gives the audience the sense of shock and adrenalin.

Destiny determines the lives of both the characters in ‘Relativity’ and Lola in ‘Run Lola Run’. In Run Lola Run, camera techniques

and angles give us information on random people that Lola runs past. The people in this ‘videogame film’ are identified as the other players or obstacles that can either give or take away valuable seconds of the game. The camera has the random character centred, this then plays forward to what their destiny probably is intended to be. This is displayed in the film as a series of images flash forwards to their predetermined destiny as the sound of a camera shutter is being played in the background. The effect the centred camera angle and the technique of flash forward is to give the audience a sense of what may happen to them in their future of the three runs and gives the audience a small amount of background knowledge on each character.
Symbolism is displayed in ‘Relativity’ and creates the effect of MC Escher’s domination of destiny. The distinctively visual lithograph displays that the characters’ destiny is the never-ending circle of life. Escher demonstrates this distinctively visual lithograph by using the stairs shaped as a triangle as a core of Relativity’s composition, he identifies the use of the three-point perspective as the primary item to catch attention to the audience. This identifies how the faceless characters have entered and continued into a never-ending cycle, creating an illusion of a circle or spiral. The effect of both techniques gives the audience a prediction of imprisonment. Society’s views on both texts identifies that everyone has a certain destiny but for some people, it has not yet been discovered. Society does not flash forward our destiny for us as we have the choice to decide what we are destined to be.
It is demonstrated that time dominates our lives in the post-modern world.

Time is identified as the ‘temporal prison’ as is controlling the lives of Lola, the faceless characters in ‘Relativity’ and the general views of society. Tykwer displays this by highlighting the domineering character of Lola in ‘Run Lola Run’. In contrast, Escher is quieter in the distinctively visual lithograph ‘Relativity’ due to implying time’s limits visually through motifs of constraint and circularity. Tykwer describes the frantic nature and panic as it impacts how time has the effect on Lola. The domination of time is effective of the animated fast-moving scene of Lola running down the stairs as it gives the audience the sense of adrenaline and rush as it is the race against time. When following the stairs in ‘Run Lola Run’, it is noticeable that they occur in a spiral or circulatory effect, restricting Lola to only go down. The use of circles or spirals represents the never-ending illusion of time. This animated scene of where Lola sprints down the spiral stairs creates the circulatory effect that links to ‘Relativity’ and their stairs. Relativity has a three-point perspective of a triangle where the stairs can go in either three directions. The effect of the stairs display destination and how time effects the ability to go from one place to another. In effect of the post-modern society, time is dominated our life’s and determines the idea that the race against time in the race against

fatality that is caused by time. Society’s views on time are identified as controlling as individuals are so reliable of time despite its hunger to consume life.
The relationships between characters and time are identified in ‘Run Lola Run’ and ‘Relativity’.

Relationships have been shown with the connection between Manni and Lola. The quote “Do you love me” that has been said in the red scene of ‘Run Lola Run’. This identifies the lack of faith and trust between Manni and Lola and how their relationship was identified to be artificial. The effect of this is to display the ideas of how lust competes with love and can have a negative effect on the relationship so much that it displays that Manni needs Lola. The red scene has been prevalent as red has connotation with love, death or a pause in the game. In this case the red ties in with the conversation between Manni and Lola and can is identified with emotional tension. This has claimed toxicity to the relationship as he is very dependent on her and relies on Lola through the movie and not just through the red scene. These relationships that are formed in ‘Relativity’ are dependent on values and trust. The faceless characters on the lithograph displays the relationship of friendship and the combination of family. Relationships are predominant in post-modern society and is a strong motive in why we have a connection to other characters, people, places and things. The relationships between the faceless characters pf relativity displays and identifies with the relationship with time and destiny. Relationships in Escher’s relativity is shown through the composition of the characters and

what exactly they are doing.
Society is displayed by the changes of how we see visual images. Their views effect both Tykwer and Escher’s texts in relation to destiny, time and Relationships. Escher’s lithograph identifies the nature of our post-modern society due to our relationships and interactions. Similar to ‘Run Lola Run’, ‘Relativity’ displays that relationships are ruled by the circulatory of time and determine isolation and distancing form each other tie everything together and demonstrate the key points and the overall audience reaction. The links between faith, time, chance and relationships are shown in post-modern society and have a significant impact of how these factors affect our lives and the views that both artists created with both their lithograph and film.