Actress Franka Potente talks to The Inside Reel about approach, time,musicality and rhythm in regards to the 25th Anniversary 4K re-release of "Run Lola Run" from Sony Pictures Classics.
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00:00No! No!
00:30People are re-experiencing Run Lola Run now, you know, what does that mean to like see a new generation because it's a completely separate thing in terms of understanding Lola, I would think, or is it universal what she goes through in certain ways?
00:52I think if I personally like think about the film, I think that, first of all, it's rather simple, you know, I think that the story, initially the narrative of the film doesn't take up a lot of space.
01:09What it does is it leaves a lot of space, actually left, there's a lot of space left for, you know, to discover for the audience to discover, you know, all the, if you will, like the little intellectual details, the whole philosophical cloud, so to speak.
01:26And I think that that is something that doesn't really age, you know, I think that's something that you can very immediately still connect to, the film's very short, the film's very fast, there's just this initial spark that sets off.
01:39And I think that, you know, now, as much as 25 years ago, I think that still works, because it is so immediate, because there's actually not that many bells and whistles, you know, you see a girl run through a metropolis that is actually very similar.
01:59I go to Berlin like twice a year, like, it's crazy, it hasn't changed that much, you know, it's energy, it's vibe. And I think, you know, these days, being on social media, a lot of this and that, like, you know, the vibe and the energy of something is what people crave, you know, that's what you always want to plug yourself into, because we're so plugged in.
02:29Like, when you guys were doing the locations, because you have to repeat certain stuff and do all these things. Could you talk about how the environment imbued you, especially since you're running all through it? And I always think, what was Franca thinking when she was running? She's like, I got to get to this point? Or was it just sort of being in the moment for you in those scenes?
02:57It was a lot of being in the moment. I lived in Munich at the time, I moved to Berlin, had to after Lola. But I remember it was a lot of like, whoa, am I you know, because we'd go to all these locations. And mind you, this was a $2 million independent film. Did we have permits to shoot everywhere? Probably not. So it was a lot of trusting on my part and just being young and being like, yeah, I'll run across the street, someone will have my back and stop traffic.
03:27You know, I think, like most things in this film, and this experience were really driven by this incredible vibrancy and fury of belief. You know, we were really dialed into each other's like creative flow. I know that sounds cheesy. But what that means is, is this incredible energy that is released when you don't give a fuck about the result.
03:51Oh, yeah.
04:21It doesn't feel like work, but it becomes like one big day, you know, that you just don't never tap out of. I lived that film. I was that film, I was completely immersed and, and was so happy, loved every second of it. So almost in a strange way, when the film came around, it was finished. And people loved it. I was like, yeah, of course you do, because I loved it so much. You know, it was just kind of a strange validation of all the feelings I had.
04:52It's exceptionally primal, in many ways, I mean, between the screams, which are such a big part of it, but I love sort of the bookend with you and Moritz in bed. And with that blazing light, it just, it makes it feel like a dream, but also just like a very primal that these are the only two people in the world, nothing else matters.
05:20Could you talk about that feeling, that primal feeling of that, but how it sort of relates to the aspect of love to lust in a way and a desire, but also the need for protection for her to protect him, in many ways.
05:34I think what was new at the time, you know, in 99, the film came out, like, you know, was that we hadn't seen so much women as, like you said, the protector, women in action films being protectors, but also, you know, the whole anger and fury that comes with it when Lola just screams, or she points the gun at her dad, she is mad.
05:59And to kind of celebrate that female, like madness and anger and fire was rather new at the time, you know, I'm not saying we invented it, certainly not. But, you know, I think that's part of the fun of the film.
06:17And then, like you said, we have these red scenes where we kind of settle down and like a more silent mode or a quieter mode, reflecting on what that means, you know, money and Lola talking about their love, you know, like, do you love me? Okay, but how much, you know, which is like a very, very complicated topic to negotiate for these young people.
06:40And we get different answers, you know, because it's really hard to find one answer. And what prevails, though, is her no matter what, making the decision, I got you, I'm gonna go right now, I got you, you know, not knowing maybe why or who she's rescuing or what she'll get in return, you know, it's the power of her decision to do it anyway.
07:11I think we you and I've talked about music over the years about different things. But, of course, when you said belief, I think about belief, because that track goes out throughout with you saying it. But, you know, people look at the lyrics and listen to them. I don't believe in trouble. I don't believe in plain, you know, I forget what the other thing but, but we can have it around again, you know, there's, there's all these notions of existence.
07:39You know, that are sort of keyed in musicality, was that always part of it in your head, and but also looking at the idea of existence with this girl, because it is just go, but I could almost feel because you can feel the music still today as much as you can. Back in those days, it's sort of, it's reflexive. It's interesting in that way.
08:01I think, I mean, you have to, as you know, like, I mean, I was running so much, you know, like, rehearsals, every take sound, it was just like, it was, it was what it was. But it was like a lot about I had, like, like, really my heart beating, pounding in my brain, you know, like the breath, like my shoes on pavement, that sound, I'll never forget that, you know, it was like, my, I was kind of like, you know, I was like, I was like, I was like, I was like, I was like, I was like, I was like, I was like, I was like, I was like, I was like, I was like, I was like, I was like, I was like, I was like, I was like, I was like, I was like, I was like, I was like, I was like, I was like, I was like, I was like, I was like, I was
08:31It was my own drum, and it was like, my own rhythm. And everything was based on that.
08:37Tom is a very musical person, you know, so there was lots of music that we listened to beforehand.
08:46And everything, like as I was centered around my, my breathing, the pounding of my heart,
08:53and my shoes pounding the pavement and stuff. And, you know, I think when you take that and
09:02you kind of like immerse yourself, then there's less complicated analysis of other things going
09:11on. You really kind of let yourself be guided by this rather intuitive and very physical,
09:19actually, rhythm of the story. I think that's what I remember happened.