Dark Sky Films is proud to present LOLA, a thrilling sci-fi drama earning near-universal critical acclaim that’s out now in theaters and on VOD.
Set in 1940 England, LOLA is a thrilling sci-fi drama earning near-universal acclaim from critics and audiences alike. Enterprising sisters Thomasina “Thom” Hanbury (Emma Appleton, Everything I Know About Love, The Witcher, Pistol, Traitors) and Martha “Mars” Hanbury (Stefanie Martini, Prime Suspect 73, The Last Kingdom, Make Up, Crooked House) have built a machine, LOLA, that can intercept radio and TV broadcasts from the future. The device gives them an exciting preview of the world to come, including music by the likes of David Bowie and the Kinks. But with World War II escalating, the sisters decide to use the machine as a weapon of intelligence, with world-altering consequences.
In his feature debut, director Andrew Legge employs a documentary-like approach to tell his story, which centers on footage discovered in old movie reel cans in a deserted house — footage that purportedly reveals the work of the eccentric sisters. Much of LOLA was shot with period cameras, the footage then home-processed in a vintage16mm developing tank in order to give the movie an authentically aged feel.
OFFICIAL 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 cam e 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 realise the terrible consequences of its power
LOLA
Directed by: Andrew Legge
Written by: Andrew Legge & Angeli Macfarlane
Produced by: Alan Maher & John Wallace
Country of Origin: Ireland & United Kingdom
Language: English
Genre: Science Fiction, Drama, Independent
Distributor: Dark Sky Films
Run Time: 79 minutes
Cast: Stefanie Martini (Prime Suspect 73, The Last Kingdom, Make Up, Crooked House), Emma Appleton (Everything I Know About Love, The Witcher, Pistol, Traitors), Rory Fleck Byrne (Vampire Academy) & Aaron Monaghan (The Banshees of Inisherin, Assassin’s Creed).
WHAT THE CRITICS ARE SAYING…
“The premise is tantalizing enough to keep your imagination tickled for most of the film’s brisk 79-minute runtime.” – INDIEWIRE
“A gorgeous blend of documentary and found-footage, LOLA is a sophisticated piece of science-fiction. Legge’s debut is a conversation-starting whirl through philosophy and strategy. Bound together by a dynamic duo of sisters, LOLA is simply breath-taking.” – THE HOLLYWOOD NEWS
“A consistently entertaining and original time travel movie that poses some interesting questions and crams a pleasingly large number of ideas into its efficient 76-minute running time.” – NERDLY
“Fiendishly smart, ‘LOLA’ is a weird and wonderful tear through the timelines.“
– ENTERTAINMENT.IE
“Legge doesn’t rely on the changing of the future to shock an audience which has heard that tale many times before, but weaves a more complex story, very neatly tied together and, in its totality, addressing one of science fiction’s trickier big questions.” – EYE FOR FILM
“This is an ingenious, exhilarating film: it demands rewatches, revels in time-twisting inventiveness and has a lot to say about the actual present day as it contemplates how good intentions might muck up the past.” – KIM NEWMAN
“Touching on themes of freedom and responsibility, Lola is a fable of causality and consequence that is executed with bracing ingenuity.” – RADIO TIMES
“Its strong sense of style and its wealth of ideas give us lots to enjoy.” – SUNDAY TIMES UK
“LOLA is a gripping and uniquely strange alternative history tale. It’s a haunting out of body experience.” – RTÉ