LOLA

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LOLA

Released Aug 4, 2023

1h 19m

Sci-Fi

War

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

98%

Tomatometer

40 Reviews

68%

Popcornmeter

100+ Ratings

1941, sisters Thom and Mars have built a machine, LOLA, that can intercept radio and TV broadcasts from the future. This allows them to listen to iconic music before it has been made, place bets knowing what the outcome will be and embrace their inner punk well before the movement came into existence. But with the Second World War escalating, the sisters decide to use the machine for good to intercept information from the future that could help with military intelligence. The machine initially proves to be a huge success, rapidly twisting the fortunes of the war against the Nazis. While Thom becomes intoxicated by LOLA, Mars begins to realize the terrible consequences of its power.

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Critics Consensus

LOLA stylishly fuses time-travel and found footage elements to craft a clever what-if story that buzzes with timeless ingenuity.

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Mark Kermode

Kermode and Mayo's Take (YouTube)

A very independently spirited film that deserves to find an audience.

Aug 27, 2024

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Donald Clarke

Irish Times

Working with vintage film cameras and period lenses, the cinematographer Oona Menges creates images that seem infused with rationed cigarette smoke.

Rated: 3/5

Dec 11, 2023

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Kaleem Aftab

Time Out

There’s much to admire here, but with Legge’s keen eye for the technical side of cinema stronger than his narrative impulses, LOLA ultimately has to go down as an ambitious failure.

Rated: 2/5

Dec 11, 2023

Full Review

Clotilde Chinnici

Loud and Clear Reviews

As the film goes on, it seems to ask us – and its protagonists – if it is really possible to change the future for the best.

Rated: 3.5/5

Sep 15, 2024

Full Review

Milana Vujkov

Lola On Film

Stylish and perfectly-formed cinematic coup, with a genius archival mix of film stock [...] a zany and witty Gen Z fantasy of saving-the-world, while elegantly sipping wine in chichi period clothes, in a fashionably derelict mansion.

Rated: 4/5

Nov 1, 2023

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Norman Gidney

HorrorBuzz

A cerebral, sci-fi thriller that works.

Rated: 8/10

Aug 27, 2023

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Jonathan K

LOLA is inventive in both concept/story and style/execution. A dark alt-history script is always going to be intriguing to me, and it's well executed in that regard. It also serves as an interesting commentary on the attractiveness of fascism to someone with an engineering mind, who wants to feel in control and for things to be tidy and neat and ideal, i.e. engineered. What's more, there's a really clever sci-fi time manipulating angle to the story, and the quasi-plausible bow-tying at the end they accomplish given that storytelling device is quite satisfying.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

10/14/24

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Geoff C

Ten minutes in I was hooked, and so should you be.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

09/29/24

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J. Gregory W

This is remarkably well done. A fresh take on a sci-fi concept, set in WWII. That description should lead to lots of criticisms, but …. No. Impeccably well written, acted, directed, filmed, and edited. If you like WWII movies, alt-history, sci-fi, or independent films, this is a must see. I am interested in discovering other films by the producer, writers, director, and lead actresses.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

09/15/24

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Jeff M

This is a low budget film with big ideas. It works surprisingly well. I loved the honesty in how they approached the tradeoffs of changing history. Like Stephen King's 11/22/63 we see the unintended consequence of doing good. Loved it.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

07/04/24

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Thom G

LOLA stands out by presenting viewers with an intriguing "what if" story that offers a unique historical experience.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

06/05/24

Full Review

Fred N

Interesting idea (which may be why the critics liked it) but flawed implementation and weak ending (which may be why audiences were less thrilled). How likely is it that the government in WWII England would just let a civilian make military decisions without supervision and assistance? At the end, leaving us in the depth of disaster to only assume somehow it got reconned was unsatisfying. Could have left some breadcrumbs earlier that would have made it more certain.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

05/02/24

Full Review

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Andrew Legge

Director

Stefanie Martini

Martha

Hugh O'Conor

Actor

Emma Appleton

Actor

Rory Fleck Byrne

Actor

Ayvianna Snow

Actor

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Synopsis

1941, sisters Thom and Mars have built a machine, LOLA, that can intercept radio and TV broadcasts from the future. This allows them to listen to iconic music before it has been made, place bets knowing what the outcome will be and embrace their inner punk well before the movement came into existence. But with the Second World War escalating, the sisters decide to use the machine for good to intercept information from the future that could help with military intelligence. The machine initially proves to be a huge success, rapidly twisting the fortunes of the war against the Nazis. While Thom becomes intoxicated by LOLA, Mars begins to realize the terrible consequences of its power.

Director: Andrew Legge
Producer: Alan Maher, John Wallace
Screenwriter: Andrew Legge, Angeli MacFarlane, Andrew Legge, Angeli Macfarlane
Distributor: Dark Sky Films
Genre: Sci-Fi, War, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Aug 4, 2023, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Aug 4, 2023
Runtime: 1h 19m

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