LOLA (2023) Characters, Setting & Themes Explained

LOLA is set primarily in the English countryside, where sisters Thom and Mars build their invention in an isolated house. The story also spans locations including London, Cornwall, Southampton, and Dover as the war unfolds across Britain.

Foreshadowing: The tranquil rural setting contrasts sharply with the bombed cities that appear later in the film.

• english countryside
• isolated house
• london
• wwii britain
• setting

LOLA is set during World War II, specifically in the 1940s. The story begins during the Blitz and extends through Britain's broader wartime conflict, with the sisters using their invention to influence events as the war progresses.

• wwii
• 1940s
• blitz
• world war 2
• time period

LOLA explores three interconnected themes: time travel and the consequences of altering the past, war and resistance showing how individuals use extraordinary means during total war, and power and ethics examining the moral cost of wielding knowledge that can shape history.

• themes
• time travel
• war
• power
• ethics
• moral dilemma

LOLA presents time travel as a double-edged sword. The sisters can intercept future broadcasts, giving them knowledge that saves lives but also destabilizes established plans. The film questions whether it is right to alter history, even with the intention of preventing catastrophe, as hope and harm become intertwined.

Foreshadowing: Early scenes of the sisters listening to future signals set up the moral dilemmas that escalate throughout the story.

• time travel
• paradox
• altering history
• future signals

Thom (Thomasina Hanbury) is the brilliant, solitary inventor who builds LOLA, a machine that taps into future radio and TV signals. Driven by curiosity and a longing to shape the world, she becomes increasingly single-minded as Lola's power grows, eventually aligning with a fascist regime before her death in the final confrontation.

Foreshadowing: Thom's confidence in Lola's potential is evident from the earliest tests, hinting at her eventual downfall.

• thom
• thomasina hanbury
• inventor
• lola creator

Mars (Martha Hanbury) is Thom's older sister who serves as the moral counterpoint to Thom's ambition. Compassionate and cautious, she resists Thom's escalating experiments, forms a bond with Holloway, and fights to keep Lola's power in check. Mars ultimately helps stage escapes and protects the greater good as the world around them darkens.

Foreshadowing: Mars's instinct to protect others is established early when she first questions the wisdom of using Lola's warnings.

• mars
• martha hanbury
• thom's sister
• moral compass

Major Henry Cobcroft is a skeptical but pragmatic military officer who recognizes Lola as a potential asset for the Allied forces. He authorizes investigations into the sisters' broadcasts and coordinates their warnings, but ultimately orders their arrest when their growing influence becomes too threatening, embodying the tension between military pragmatism and ethical restraint.

Foreshadowing: Cobcroft's initial willingness to use the sisters' information establishes his pragmatic nature before his later turn against them.

• major cobcroft
• military officer
• allied forces

LOLA examines how knowledge and power corrupt even well-intentioned people. Thom's growing mastery over Lola exposes the responsibilities that accompany immense knowledge, while Mars embodies caution and humanity. The film shows how the line between benevolent innovation and dangerous manipulation blurs, ultimately underscoring the moral cost of wielding such power.

Foreshadowing: The sisters' early debates about whether to share Lola's secrets foreshadow the ethical collapse that follows.

• power
• ethics
• corruption
• responsibility
• knowledge

In LOLA, the WWII setting transforms Lola from a scientific curiosity into a covert tool for civilian protection and military advantage. The sisters' broadcasts become a lifeline during air raids, turning science into a form of civic resistance. Their actions ripple through battles, alliances, and political shifts, showing how individuals can harness extraordinary means within total war.

Foreshadowing: The shift from curiosity-driven experimentation to urgent wartime broadcasts marks the transformation of the sisters' work.

• world war 2
• resistance
• civilian protection
• air raids
• allied forces

LOLA is an invention built by sisters Thom and Mars that allows them to intercept future radio and TV broadcasts. This device reveals military secrets and predicts popular music, giving the sisters the ability to warn of impending attacks and influence events. However, its power creates a precarious loop where actions in the present affect what is sensed as possible futures.

• lola
• invention
• future signals
• broadcasts
• time machine