An Analysis of the Casino Scene in Run Lola Run
An Analysis of the Casino Scene in Run Lola Run as an Allegory for Privilege and Wealth in the
Current German Economy.
In the third attempt at saving her boyfriend, Lola (Franka Potente) of Tom Tykwer’s Run
Lola Run (1998) makes at saving her boyfriend, Manni (Moritz Bleibtreu), gambles at a casino in an attempt to acquire the money he, needs. The film Run Lola Run is a criticism of the
German economy in relation to societal privilege. The casino symbolizes the current German economy, and Lola is representative of a minority group attempting to stay above the poverty line despite not having the societal advantage that comes with belonging to a privileged group.
In Germany, approximately fifteen percent of people are below the poverty line, the most heavily affected being women, ethnic and racial minorities, and people over 65 (Sommer-Guist,
2007). These fifteen percent of people rely on the German government to provide a ‘minimum living wage’ for them to get by. Likewise, when Lola enters the casino she must rely on the casino worker— the person who runs the casino much like the government runs the economy— to allow her to participate even though she is short on funds. The woman controls Lola’s fate entirely. She could easily have denied Lola her chance, so fairly early into the scene Lola is established as not having control of the situation; reliant on outside elements.
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In the still of Lola standing in front of the roulette table, that vulnerability and lack of control is emphasized by the staging of Lola in the center of the three symmetrically positioned tables. The symmetry of the tables and of the floor pattern indicate that the building she has entered is very organized and part of an extensive, well-established system that is far bigger than her. She is the only one standing in the exact center of one of the repeated floor designs as well as the only person not with someone else or in a group, which serves to both draw the
Current German Economy.
In the third attempt at saving her boyfriend, Lola (Franka Potente) of Tom Tykwer’s Run
Lola Run (1998) makes at saving her boyfriend, Manni (Moritz Bleibtreu), gambles at a casino in an attempt to acquire the money he, needs. The film Run Lola Run is a criticism of the
German economy in relation to societal privilege. The casino symbolizes the current German economy, and Lola is representative of a minority group attempting to stay above the poverty line despite not having the societal advantage that comes with belonging to a privileged group.
In Germany, approximately fifteen percent of people are below the poverty line, the most heavily affected being women, ethnic and racial minorities, and people over 65 (Sommer-Guist,
2007). These fifteen percent of people rely on the German government to provide a ‘minimum living wage’ for them to get by. Likewise, when Lola enters the casino she must rely on the casino worker— the person who runs the casino much like the government runs the economy— to allow her to participate even though she is short on funds. The woman controls Lola’s fate entirely. She could easily have denied Lola her chance, so fairly early into the scene Lola is established as not having control of the situation; reliant on outside elements.
2
In the still of Lola standing in front of the roulette table, that vulnerability and lack of control is emphasized by the staging of Lola in the center of the three symmetrically positioned tables. The symmetry of the tables and of the floor pattern indicate that the building she has entered is very organized and part of an extensive, well-established system that is far bigger than her. She is the only one standing in the exact center of one of the repeated floor designs as well as the only person not with someone else or in a group, which serves to both draw the