Run Lola Run is a German film that revolves the main character’s attempts to find 100, 000 DM for her boyfriend, that he needs to pay off a local crime boss. The movie shows Lola’s many different attempts at raising the money for Manni within twenty minutes, starting from the beginning after each failure learning from her previous mistakes.
The agents, or actors, in the movie are important to the story, but in terms of pentadic criticism, they are overshadowed by the other aspects, including purpose and agency. Many of the main characters are never properly introduced, and we are only shown the impact that Lola’s actions have on their lives. The scenes of the movie take place in a German city, taking place in a bank owned by Lola’s father, a casino, and most notably the streets of the city that Lola must run through constantly throughout the movie. Once again, this term is important, but overshadowed. The final term that is less important in respect to pentadic critique is the act; Lola must obtain 100, 000 DM within 20 minutes. This is the end goal for Lola, but the film is more concerned with how she reaches her goal, and why she must reach it.
As previously noted, one of the dominating terms in Run Lola Run is the purpose. The story is built around the urgency of the situation, where if the money is not raised, there will be deadly consequences. You are able to see the frantic desperation in every stride, and the fueled determination even after each failed attempt to reach her goal. This ties in neatly to the agency, of how Lola must raise the money. This movie is called Run Lola Run for a reason. It is because there is running…lots of its. When she isn’t running to her target, she is holding up a bank, chasing down ambulances and screaming her way to massive gambling wins. She is constantly pushing herself to her physical limits, only to have to redo them over and over again.
Pop Studies and Rhetoric 
I considered not allowing this post, as it covers an artifact described in rather thorough detail in the Foss text. However, bpmcdona brings something new to the analysis when he considers the artifact in terms of the pentadic method, rather than the generative method that the authors use. That, incidentally, is the way to do it, if anyone is considering using an artifact from the text for their essays–apply a new approach that casts the artifact in a new light. For something like the essays, it would have to be above and beyond the existing treatment, but it is possible.
–MH