The Girl Power Hoax as seen in ‘Run Lola Run’
WARNING: Major spoilers ahead!
In the 1990s, cultural feminism and the girl power movement emerged, promising a freer social space for women. More women have taken up space in the patriarchal society in this decade. However, these women, who are supposedly gaining freedom and empowerment, are reduced to objects and stereotypes. This hope for a gender equality progression in the decade posed as a hoax.
Deviating from the common narrative of a hero-damsel in distress storyline, Run Lola Run gives similar genre films a run for their money (yes, pun definitely intended). Run Lola Run, or Lola Rennt, is a 1992 German action thriller film written and directed by Tom Twyker. The story follows Lola who is frantically looking for ways to get hold of 100,000 Deutsche Marks in order to save her Manni, her boyfriend, from being killed by his boss. Both Lola and Manni have only 20 minutes to solve this life and death situation.
Essentially, Run Lola Run had gender roles switched; Lola as the knight in shining armor and Manni as the damsel in distress. Thus, it brings to light the challenge it poses for gender stereotypes.
The alternate realities and its implications
In the first run, it is seen that frenzied Lola immediately thought of asking for money from her banker father. Basically relying on the patriarch, she eliminated all the other ways of obtaining money. This situation poses a society wherein women can only think of powerful patriarchal figures to give them aid during a crisis.
Moreover, as Lola desperately seeks money, her father kicks her out of his office after she fights with him. She sees that Manni was already robbing the grocery store. If this was another typical film, she would coax Manni into giving up, to avoid committing a crime. However, she grabs the gun of the security guard. As seen in the film, she has no idea of handling a gun because she fumbles with it. This scene serves yet another ideology that women in films are unaware of things that are deemed to be masculine. Lola with a gun poses a threat to masculinity; and as a way to eliminate it, she was shot dead by a male police officer.
And then it restarts…
During the second run, she had another argument with her father. Her rage becomes her source of power and used the security guard’s gun to rob the bank. In this situation, she has taken advantage of men and used them to get what she wants. After she robs the bank, the police dismiss her because they didn’t think it was her who robbed the bank. This scene represents men underestimating women. But, in Lola’s case, this subtle sexism caused her to escape from the scene as an unidentified fugitive. What was portrayed to be the weakness of being a woman was Lola’s ticket to safely flee and go to Manni. But, ultimately, this power was taken back when she failed in this run, yet again, because of Manni’s death.
In the final run, Lola won big at the casino, in which she desperately bargained her way in. Meanwhile, Manni has gotten back the lost money and returns it to his boss, escaping death. He then meets up with Lola. And it seems that they lived happily ever after.
The final run touches the concept of the balance of power between men and women. Manni and Lola both tried and succeeded to obtain the money in their own ways, thus presenting the balance of power between the two genders.
Why Lola didn’t deserve that kind of ending
However, if we look at the film’s end more closely, Lola was reduced to a woman who was just lucky enough to win at the casino. As Manni confidently walks with her after giving the money back, he asks her what’s inside the bag. She does not answer him. This implies that the power of women, which was symbolized through the casino money, does not hold any significance now that a man had solved the problem. Manni, as a representation of men, has yet to discover that what Lola was holding in her hands was much more powerful than he imagined it to be.
The girl power hoax in this film is so subtle that audiences do not realize it the first time. This seems like a feminist movie but it just glorified the little successes of men over the greater successes of women.
While feminism seemingly progressed in the 21st century, misogyny and sexism still exist within society. It still can be seen in art and literature. The only difference is that it’s now concealed in faux feminist movements, capitalized in romantic comedies, and packaged in oversimplified women empowerment advocacies — created and organized by men who run the world.
