Run Lola Run

In “Run Lola Run,” there is an interesting flip-flop of gender roles. In fact, we see this same reversal in Erec and Enide. Stereotypically the man is the hero, the one who saves the damsel in distress; however, what is the first scene of the movie? Manni’s in a phone booth freaking out and in hysterics blaming Lola for not showing up and then begging her to save him from his own mess. In the first two sequences it Lola not Manni who finds the way out. While the success in the third sequence is the result of both of their efforts, the protagonist/hero is still obviously Lola. Therefore, Manni proves to be the Princess Peach trapped in Bowser Castle. In Erec and Enide, the reversal is a bit more subtle: Erec is portrayed as this big hero, is the guy who wins every battle and, yet, was it not for Enide, his battles wouldn’t have ever evolved to involve true honor. Another interesting thing about the film is the use of sound – specifically the scream. Another stereotype is that of the trophy wife/girlfriend, the one who’s supposed to ‘Shut up and look pretty.’ In Cretien’s Erec and Enide and Yvain, we see that stereotype subtly refuted by the verbose Enide (who becomes a much deeper character as soon as she’s allowed to speak) and the crafty Lunette (who uses language to get her way). In “Run Lola Run,” her scream is a way to assert herself – a ‘no, I will not shut up and look pretty. You shut up and listen,’ if you will.