LOLA | Rotten Tomatoes

LOLA

Released Aug 4, 2023

1h 19m

Sci-Fi

War

Drama

List

97%

Tomatometer

39 Reviews

66%

Audience Score

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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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

Full Review

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

Josh Slater-Williams

Sight & Sound

Martini and Appleton’s screen presences are sufficiently intense to make up for this brisk film’s focus on narrative conceit at the expense of emotional throughline.

Dec 11, 2023

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

Full Review

Norman Gidney

HorrorBuzz

A cerebral, sci-fi thriller that works.

Rated: 8/10

Aug 27, 2023

Full Review

Lee Zumpe

Tampa Bay Newspapers

If you are willing to overlook the many shortcomings that may be attributed to a low budget, “Lola” succeeds in conveying an important message in a highly imaginative and evocative way.

Aug 23, 2023

Full Review

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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

A.L.Jude P

A masterpiece in it's own rights.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

03/23/24

Full Review

Regina P

Glad to find this on Tubi. Interesting concept. I didn't care too much for the execution and the ending.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

02/14/24

Full Review

Logan D

Thom and Mars have built Lola, a machine that can receive radio and television signals from the future. As expected of anyone intelligent, they use Lola to view David Bowie videos. Fun and games end when the military gets involved. Yet another hidden gem. This is certainly going in my top 5 time travel films (I've yet to see Primer, which many rave about). The film was shot during lockdown using vintage cameras and the actresses actually work the cameras when their characters are doing so. The chemistry between the two leads is magnetic and the film moves at a brisk pace. A very smart film. Highly recommended

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

02/09/24

Full Review

Richard L

Although it manages to be briefly original and entertaining about halfway through, Lola clearly doesn't know whether it should focus on the concept itself and the events that flow from it or its characters, who happen to be a lot less interesting than the writer had likely intended. An almost painfully unimaginative ending signs this great idea off to mediocrity.

Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars

01/21/24

Full Review

Marc A

Engrossing, original, thought- provoking. Terrific acting and stylish. Some memorable lines. Enjoy.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/16/24

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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