Lola

Running time: N/A

West Coast Premiere Would you risk taking over someone else's life and past, knowing that you would not be discovered? What if you found the opportunity to start completely over? Lola leads an unfulfilled life in a verbally abusive relationship with her husband, Mike. Things are soon to change, however, as by chance, Lola saves a stranger named Sandra from walking into the path of an oncoming car. Sandra is everything Lola aspires to be - stylish, confident, adventurous, and most especially, mysterious. Lola becomes enamored with Sandra, and, feeling indebted to Lola, Sandra takes Lola under her wing. But by a twist of fate, Lola is granted an opportunity to take on Sandra's identity-perhaps even become her. At a crossroads, Lola must choose whether to return to her dysfunctional relationship or to become a different person and start anew. Using a cinema verite style, Canadian director Carl Bessai renders a genuine portrayal of one woman's personal odyssey. The character of Lola is stunningly portrayed by Sabrina Grdevich, who gives us a complex woman, at the same time in crisis and with a chance for salvation. An intriguing, mature, and confident second feature by Bessai, Lola examines questions of one's true identity and whether we can change our own essential nature. Reviewed by Sandy Wolf