Run Lola Run

Run Lola Run is a german film which tells the story of one event 3 times , however the action and end result changes each time. The film has many aspects similar to a formalist film, however many of the situations are more realistic or could happen. For example the fact that Minner has got himself in with bad people and the situation with Lola's parents are both realistic situations. The setting is also realistic, it's not distorted or in an unusual place like many formalist films, its recognizable as a modern day city.  Much of the lighting is also realistic except there is a running theme of the colour red which is highlighted where possible, e.g. Lola's bright red hair, the red ambulance, red telephone, and the red money bag. Also in the trailer for it, half way through there is a sequence of flashing clips between Lola and mug like shots of people against a red background and ends on the red telephone. The most obvious use of red is the tinted lighting in the dream sequences in between each repetition, i think they emphasize the red in the mise en scene because it connotes danger and there is a running theme of danger in the film. The telephone is the beginning of the danger when Lola starts of on her task to get 100,000 marks and the red bag of money is at the point when Manni gets run over. 

The film does in fact use a variety of formalist elements within the camerawork, editing and narrative. It has a formalist narrative in which it repeats a sequence of her getting one hundred thousand pounds in 20 minutes 3 times until it reaches a good outcome.  Each time there are small changes in what happens to her and this effects the people around her. I think the way they show snap-shots of peoples life's is formalist because its incorporating other stories through an unrealistic form. Another formalist form that is used is the use of animation in the beginning credits and the beginning of each repetition of the story.  

The editing of the camera work is done to give the film a quick pace but it also makes it look very formalist. They use many jump cuts between birds eye-views and extreme close ups and the beginning shot  zooms in from the sky and tracks into Lola's bedroom.  The beginning of the film is shot from a low point of view in a faded out crowd, which i think uses a more advanced version of the distorted background element of German expressionism. It fades out the background so that you can see only the peoples body's (apart from in the extreme close up of the police mans face), which is similar to the use of shadows in German Expressionism. 

Overall I would consider Run Lola Run to be written and produced as a formalist film as the narrative and setting are exaggerated forms of realism in which the camerawork and editing creates a surreal atmosphere because of the repetition of the sequence 3 times.