Lola’s red hair might have been a mistake. Not the color, mind you. Franka Potente’s electric locks in “Run Lola Run” are as intrinsic to the adrenaline rush of her sprint through Berlin as the film’s heart-racing electronic score.
Given the choice now, however, Potente would say no to bleaching her hair three times in one day. Still, regrets are few about the film and the whirlwind frenzy of its life-changing success. And when you’re 22 and making an experimental indie with like-minded, convention-defying peers, hair damage is not top of mind.
It was just part of the reckless fun of making this wild film about a woman who has 20 minutes to try to collect 100,000 Deutschmarks to save her boyfriend’s life. For its 25th anniversary, Sony Pictures Classics is sending a beautiful 4K restoration of “Run Lola Run” to theaters nationwide this weekend. Filmmaker Tom Tykwer even got to fix some of the tiny problems that have bothered him over the years.
“It's now the pristine and super nice ‘perfect’ version of a still beautifully imperfect movie," he said. The AP spoke to Potente and Tykwer about the wild ride that was “Run Lola Run,” its impact and influence. Remarks have been edited for clarity and brevity.
AP: This is embarrassing, but I kind of became aware of the movie because I saw a photo of Natalie Portman dressed as Lola at a Halloween Party. POTENTE: She told me that she did that! I was like, oh my god. Tom has stories like that too.
Even today t.