In 1990, to protect his fragile mother from a fatal shock after a long coma, a young man must keep her from learning that her beloved nation of East Germany as she knew it has disappeared.
Director:
Wolfgang Becker
Stars:
Daniel Brühl,
Katrin Saß,
Chulpan Khamatova
For two weeks, 20 male participants are hired to play prisoners and guards in a prison. The "prisoners" have to follow seemingly mild rules, and the "guards" are told to retain order without using physical violence.
Director:
Oliver Hirschbiegel
Stars:
Moritz Bleibtreu,
Christian Berkel,
Oliver Stokowski
Jean-Baptiste Grenouille (Ben Whishaw), born with a superior olfactory sense, creates the world's finest perfume. His work, however, takes a dark turn as he searches for the ultimate scent.
A high school teacher's experiment to demonstrate to his students what life is like under a dictatorship spins horribly out of control when he forms a social unit with a life of its own.
A look at Germany's terrorist group, The Red Army Faction (RAF), which organized bombings, robberies, kidnappings and assassinations in the late 1960s and '70s.
Director:
Uli Edel
Stars:
Martina Gedeck,
Moritz Bleibtreu,
Johanna Wokalek
With the intention to break free from the strict familial restrictions, a suicidal young woman sets up a marriage of convenience with a forty-year-old addict, an act that will lead to an outburst of envious love.
A young Spanish woman who has recently moved to Berlin finds her flirtation with a local guy turn potentially deadly as their night out with his friends reveals a dangerous secret.
A woman takes the law into her own hands after police ignore her pleas to arrest the man responsible for her husband's death, and finds herself not only under arrest for murder but falling in love with an officer.
Director:
Tom Tykwer
Stars:
Cate Blanchett,
Giovanni Ribisi,
Remo Girone
Lola receives a phone call from her boyfriend Manni. He lost 100,000 DM in a subway train that belongs to a very bad guy. Lola has 20 min to raise this amount and meet Manni. Otherwise, he will rob a store to get the money. Three different alternatives may happen depending on some minor event along Lola's run.Written by
Claudio Carvalho, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
The written quotation at the start of the film - "We shall not cease from exploration, And the end of all our exploring, Will be to arrive where we started, And know the place for the first time" - is from T.S. Eliot's poem 'Little Gidding'. The quotation underscores the importance of the value of the journey in understanding the self- a theme central to the film. See more »
Goofs
In Part 1, Lola leaves the bank and looks to her right. The shot from this side then shows Lola facing in this direction with a young woman approaching in the background (i.e. Lola's left). The next shot (from the front) has an old woman appear from Lola's left. See more »
Quotes
[first lines]
[subtitled version]
Narrator:
Man... probably the most mysterious species on our planet. A mystery of unanswered questions. Who are we? Where do we come from? Where are we going? How do we know what we think we know? Why do we believe anything at all? Countless questions in search of an answer... an answer that will give rise to a new question... and the next answer will give rise to the next question and so on. But, in the end, isn't it always the same question? And always the same answer?
See more »
Crazy Credits
The end credits run backwards, from top to bottom. See more »
Alternate Versions
The DVD version has different English subtitles than showings on pay-cable stations. Most notably, the opening credits are not translated to english on the DVD version, and small phrases are not translated, such as when Lola goes through everyone she knows, trying to get the money. Only "Dad" is translated. See more »
Somebody Has to Pay
Performed by Bobo and The London Session Orchestra
Contains a cello sample of "Black Hole Sun"
Performed, arranged and produced by Susie van der Meer and Ben Lauber
Lyrics by Susie van der Meer
Music by Susie van der Meer See more »
People seem to get to easily impressed by films these days. No, I'm not a grouch, and I did like this film. Quite a bit actually, even though I'd basically seen the same film a few years ago: D.A.N.G.A.N. Runner, an HK film, predates Lola and is quite similar for the running throughout the film to live/save life etcetera aspect. Not to mention films like Flirt which deal with the same roles in different situations or Sliding Doors with the 'what if...?' aspect.
So this film, though interesting, was hardly new. It takes ideas already seen and twists them just a little bit. But it lacks the characterization and plot that made those other films so interesting. We learn very little about Lola, just a few snippets from her encounters with her 'father' and the bed sequences with her boyfriend, who we learn even less about. And the plot is all about cinematography and film style, there's little essence to it. In other words, it's eye candy and little more.
What that means is that we see great colour with little flavour. Experimentation with technique and style, sometimes it works other times it gets quite sloppy, and not enough attention to fine detail or story. (the cartoon part is cool though). And I would have liked a less Hollywood ending from a film that tries so hard to be contemporary and non-Hollywood.
Overall: Fun to watch. Some of the experimentation really worked. It's hardly a classic though, not even a terribly solid film. But it's interesting, and doesn't drag *too* much. I almost gave it a 6 but relented and instead give it a 7/10.
8 of 9 people found this review helpful.
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People seem to get to easily impressed by films these days. No, I'm not a grouch, and I did like this film. Quite a bit actually, even though I'd basically seen the same film a few years ago: D.A.N.G.A.N. Runner, an HK film, predates Lola and is quite similar for the running throughout the film to live/save life etcetera aspect. Not to mention films like Flirt which deal with the same roles in different situations or Sliding Doors with the 'what if...?' aspect.
So this film, though interesting, was hardly new. It takes ideas already seen and twists them just a little bit. But it lacks the characterization and plot that made those other films so interesting. We learn very little about Lola, just a few snippets from her encounters with her 'father' and the bed sequences with her boyfriend, who we learn even less about. And the plot is all about cinematography and film style, there's little essence to it. In other words, it's eye candy and little more.
What that means is that we see great colour with little flavour. Experimentation with technique and style, sometimes it works other times it gets quite sloppy, and not enough attention to fine detail or story. (the cartoon part is cool though). And I would have liked a less Hollywood ending from a film that tries so hard to be contemporary and non-Hollywood.
Overall: Fun to watch. Some of the experimentation really worked. It's hardly a classic though, not even a terribly solid film. But it's interesting, and doesn't drag *too* much. I almost gave it a 6 but relented and instead give it a 7/10.