Can someone please help me understand the full plot in the movie Lola Rennt?

Don't get me wrong, I definitely enjoy this movie and I appreciate its innovative style - but! I have never felt 100% comfortable with the alternate scenario thing.
Which scenario is the "real" one?
It feels pretty strange that Lola can just decide to restart from her phone call with Manni everytime things get screwed up, and it's hard to put your finger on what exactly is going on there.
I guess that since this movie is supposed to show "what could've been" it makes sense to think of the first scenario as the "real" one - but the third scenario is clearly much happier, so I like to think of that one as the real ending.
Or are all scenarios equally real, but take place in parallel universes or something?

i always thought it just rewound to that moment every time something went wrong

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Originally Posted by krissy

i always thought it just rewound to that moment every time something went wrong

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Yeah, but this doesn't make sense from a realistic perspective.
Nobody can rewind time like that, so it's hard to really understand what's happening in Lola's life.
Maybe the first two runs were just her own thoughts on how things could go wrong, so she was cautious on the third (and real...?) run and managed to get everything right?

i don't see why any other explanation is more realistic. if these are just her imaginings of what's gonna happen if/then if/then if/then, then the story is a cop out. the entire movie is centered around the theme of having another chance, isn't it?

I don't think it's meant to have a specific logical explanation. While most films (and almost all mainstream entertainment films) follow a straight storyline with one clear outcome, many films are just explorations of a concept. If you think about it, the story itself in Lola Rennt isn't particularly original or interesting. The way I see it, the story isn't the point of this movie - it's more of an exploration of cause-and-effect and how small details shape people's lives. Trying to make sense of "what really happened" is, to me, a bit of a wasted effort.

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Originally Posted by Rantz

I don't think it's meant to have a specific logical explanation. While most films (and almost all mainstream entertainment films) follow a straight storyline with one clear outcome, many films are just explorations of a concept. If you think about it, the story itself in Lola Rennt isn't particularly original or interesting. The way I see it, the story isn't the point of this movie - it's more of an exploration of cause-and-effect and how small details shape people's lives. Trying to make sense of "what really happened" is, to me, a bit of a wasted effort.

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Same with Black Swan.

CAN SOMEONE TELL ME WHAT REALLY HAPPENED???

First, you can usually piece it together. Second, the whole point is not to know.