LOLA — LOLA

From director Andrew Legge comes LOLA, a story about the invention of a future predicting televisual device. The Hanbury sisters have created LOLA to see what the world has coming in the future, giving them a chance to experience the art and music of the times ahead. And while initially fun, the device quickly reveals its military application to the sisters and the country. However, tampering comes at a cost and history is altered radically; now the Nazis rule Britain and Bowie never had the chance to sing. As Thomasina (Emma Appleton) becomes obsessed with saving the future, Martha (Stefanie Martini) realises the obscene power they control can only lead to destroying the future. As the sisters clash, the history we know fades away.

Now I love a time travel story, especially one that focuses on the ethics and ramifications of being able to alter your own timeline. Legge’s script does a good job at conveying that sense of excitement that comes with first discovering this ability, a heady mixture of artistic and cultural celebration which initially settles the viewer into a pleasant almost childish atmosphere that is shattered with a frightening spontaneity. LOLA is very quickly adopted by the British army as an early warning system to prevent the Nazis from doing significant damage to Britain. A good thing you might think, until Thomasina’s obsession with the machine kicks in and the Nazis take over. There’s an interesting rise of fascism narrative at the core here, but one that I think ends up being overshadowed by the narrative of the two sisters and how much this device has torn them apart.

LOLA’s format is the thing you’ll notice before anything else. Now the found footage format has become increasingly stale, thanks in no part to an oversaturation of cheap horror flicks, but Legge uses the style of period-accurate historical documentaries to breathe a new life into the format. The way the grainy 16mm film crackles and flickers creates the perfect uncanny visuals which convey this idea we are seeing a forbidden history perfectly.

Nearly all screen time is dedicated to Appleton and Martini who give performances that sell a very genuine sibling bond, the rows and arguments included. They manage to keep the film’s tragic moments grounded in a way that highlights the human struggle at the heart of a high-concept science-fiction story.

LOLA is a haunting cautionary tale about the ethics of tampering with things bigger than us, about choosing to play God because it seems fun at the time. While I do think the thematic study of fascism being able to rise in subtle and equally obvious ways is slightly lost in the film's unevenness. The personal effects and human consequences of the technology shine through to still make Legge’s debut feature film a sign that we should be watching their career carefully.  LOLA is currently out in UK cinemas with a digital release set for May 8th.