Symbolism in "Run Lola Run"
             Symbolism is used in film to imply thoughts, feelings, or ideas in the characters that the director does not want to state outright through speech or action. They also help the viewer to understand the essence of the conflict and action. Often these symbols are not obvious, but hidden in the background and only picked up by the subconscious mind. Effective symbolism can change the entire atmosphere of the film and thereby alter the viewer's perspective of it. In the film "Run Lola Run" the director uses certain recurring images to give the viewers a better understanding of the character's feelings, the conflict and action. The images that are used most often are spirals, squares, and circles.
             The image of the spiral is used in the film to represent confusion and desperation. It is used in scenes in which a character is unsure of what to do or is puzzled about what is going to happen next. The spiral is used to imply Manni's confusion about the events of the day prior to his call to Lola while he is outside of the Spiral Bar. The logo of the bar, a spinning spiral that hangs above the entrance, is seen above Manni's head as he makes his frenzied call to Lola. The spiral helps the viewer to understand the confused thoughts that are running through Manni's head as to what to do about the money he owes to Ronnie, a German gangster. It also represents Manni's desperation for help, which is the reason he calls Lola in the first place. It is seen with Lola as first leaves her house she is seen running down a spiral staircase. The swirling camera angle as she runs down the stairs helps the viewer understand the mindset of Lola, which is that of perplexity. The spi!
             rals dual nature is an effective way of portraying the characters' feelings about a certain subject.
             In the same way that the spiral shows confusion, the square, accordin...