LOLA 2023

Sci-Fi

War

Rank

#6,758

Runtime

79 min

Language

English

Directed by

Andrew Legge

Made by

Dark Sky Films

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LOLA Plot Summary

Read the complete plot summary and ending explained for LOLA (2023). From turning points to emotional moments, uncover what really happened and why it matters.

Two sisters, Thomasina Hanbury (“Thom”) and Martha Hanbury (“Mars”), grow up in near total isolation inside a secluded English country house after becoming orphans. Thom is a brilliant inventor who creates a machine named Lola, named for their late mother, a device capable of tapping into radio and television signals from the future. The sisters mostly use Lola to listen to music from times to come, crafting a private window into a world they cannot access directly. Yet the calm of their existence is upended when the Second World War erupts.

As the Blitz shakes Britain, Thom and Mars begin listening to future news bulletins and broadcasting clandestine messages to warn civilians to take cover from impending German air raids, a daring act that saves many lives and draws the attention of the authorities. Lt. Sebastian Holloway of the Royal Corps of Signals seeks out the source of the transmissions and eventually brings his superior, Major Henry Cobcroft, to inspect Lola and its messages. Cobcroft is skeptical at first, but he agrees to let Holloway stay and help authenticate the signals. With Lola’s data, the Royal Air Force is able to shoot down a large number of German bombers, altering the balance of the air war and constraining Luftwaffe raids over Britain.

A romance blooms between Mars and Holloway, even as Thom grows increasingly enthralled by Lola’s power. She begins to banish Mars and Holloway from the house so she can work without interruption, convinced that her work with Lola can shape the future. The sisters start to witness concrete signs that their meddling with time is bending events, a realization that unsettles Mars and sharpens Thom’s resolve.

Mars’s curiosity about the future is tested when she tunes into a TV appearance by David Bowie from 1973, only to discover that the broadcast is hijacked by Reginald Watson Reginald Watson, whose music bears disturbing fascist themes. This moment strengthens Thom’s conviction to push Lola’s capabilities further, even as the consequences of their meddling begin to ripple outward. Thom orchestrates a risky trap for German U-boats in the Battle of the Atlantic, but the operation backfires in a grim way: the German plan succeeds in sinking the American ship SS Abraham Lincoln, killing around 2,000 people, and rumors spread that the British knew this attack would come, souring American support and delaying American entry into the war.

With the United States reluctant to join the fight, Germany makes a renewed bid to invade Britain. Thom receives signals that an invasion will land the next day at Southampton, only for the next day’s events to reveal the real landing at Dover—a deception that signals the first major crack in the sisters’ control over Lola. Cobcroft’s suspicions grow, and the sisters are arrested, tried, and sentenced to death as perceived double agents.

Just as the twins face execution, a German assault on London erupts, allowing Holloway and Mars to slip away to Cornwall. Thom is freed by German forces and becomes a public figure in a fascist government led by Oswald Mosley and Edward VIII, pursuing scientific progress as a tool for building a supposed perfect society. Adolf Hitler even visits Thom’s house during a wartime tour, but Mars detonates a bomb that injures Thom and leads to Mars’s capture and hanging in the front yard. Thom manages to rescue Mars but is fatally shot by a German soldier.

In the closing moment, Mars reflects that she made the film hoping it would reach Thom in the past and deter her from further Lola experiments. A final title card notes that Lola has never been found, and that the only known trace of the Hanbury sisters is a newspaper photo of them among a crowd celebrating V-E Day.

LOLA Timeline

Follow the complete movie timeline of LOLA (2023) with every major event in chronological order. Great for understanding complex plots and story progression.

Isolated upbringing and Lola's creation

Thom Hanbury and her sister Mars grow up as orphans in an isolated house in the English countryside. Thom becomes an inventive mind and creates Lola, a machine named after their late mother. They primarily use Lola to listen to music from the future, keeping their world small and secret.

Pre-World War II isolated house in the English countryside

Lola reveals its ability to tap future signals

Lola proves able to tap into radio and television signals from the future, expanding their secret domain beyond music. The sisters begin to explore what Lola can do, glimpsing events and sounds from times yet to come. Their life becomes more bound to Lola's eerie powers.

Pre-World War II isolated house

World War II begins; the Blitz and warnings

When the Second World War erupts and the Blitz darkens England, the sisters start listening to future news bulletins and broadcast clandestine messages warning civilians to take cover from impending German air raids. Their warnings save many lives and draw the attention of military authorities. Lola's power becomes a potential strategic asset.

World War II England (Blitz)

Holloway and Cobcroft arrive; Lola is authenticated

Lt. Sebastian Holloway of the Royal Corps of Signals traces the broadcasts and identifies Lola as the source. He brings his superior Cobcroft to the house to view the machine and determine whether to harness Lola's information. Cobcroft remains skeptical but allows Holloway to stay to authenticate and coordinate the messages.

World War II Hanbury house, England

Lola helps the RAF; German raids fail

Using Lola's future-derived messages, the Royal Air Force destroys a significant number of German bombers. The Luftwaffe cancels further raids over Britain as a result. The sisters' secret work proves to have real military impact and changes the balance of air power.

World War II Over Britain

Mars and Holloway fall in love; Thom's power grows

Mars begins a romantic relationship with Holloway, while Thom becomes increasingly seduced by Lola's power and banishes Mars and Holloway from the house to work undisturbed. Lola's influence begins to fracture family ties and loyalties. The sisters' dynamic shifts as their secrets deepen.

World War II Hanbury house

1973 test: Bowie replaced by Reginald Watson

In a glimpse of the future accessed by Lola, Mars tunes in to a 1973 TV appearance by David Bowie, only to find he has been replaced by Reginald Watson whose music carries fascist themes. The incident demonstrates Lola’s unsettling ability to alter cultural content in the future. The sisters' experiments drift further from harmless curiosity.

1973 the future (1973)

Thom's U-boat trap and the Abraham Lincoln tragedy

Thom orchestrates a signal-based trap for German U-boats during the Battle of the Atlantic. The operation unintentionally contributes to the German sinking of the American ship SS Abraham Lincoln, killing 2,000 people. The revelation that Britain knew in advance of the attack damages American support and shifts the balance of the Allied partnership.

World War II Atlantic Ocean

Second invasion threat; Southampton warning and Dover landing

With American entry wavering, the Germans mount a second invasion of Britain. Thom hears signals indicating an invasion would land near Southampton, but the real invasion lands at Dover the next day, revealing Lola’s deception. Cobcroft grows suspicious that the sisters are double agents.

World War II Southampton and Dover, Britain

Arrest, trial, and death sentence

Cobcroft has Thom and Mars arrested, tried, and sentenced to death for treason. The courtroom case centers on Lola’s influence over events and the sisters’ alleged manipulation of the war. The sisters’ fates hang in the balance as the war rages outside.

World War II British courtroom

London attack; escape to Cornwall; Thom becomes a collaborator

As a German attack rages on London, Holloway and Mars escape to Cornwall, using the chaos to flee. Thom is freed by the Germans and becomes a collaborator with a new fascist government led by Oswald Mosley and Edward VIII. She rises as a scientist within the regime, believing her research aims to perfect society.

World War II London and Cornwall

Hitler visits Thom; Mars' capture and execution; Thom’s fate sealed

On a visit by Adolf Hitler to Thom’s house, Mars is captured and hanged by the Germans after a counterattack. The violence culminates with Mars’s act of defiance and Thom attempting to intervene. Thom is fatally wounded by a German soldier while trying to rescue Mars.

World War II Thom's house, Britain

Mars’s final line; the film as warning

In the aftermath, Mars reveals that she made the movie to warn a past Thom and deter further Lola experimentation. The ending emphasizes caution about meddling with time and power. A closing title card notes Lola has never been found and shows a VE Day photograph of the Hanbury sisters.

VE Day (May 1945) Britain

LOLA Characters

Explore all characters from LOLA (2023). Get detailed profiles with their roles, arcs, and key relationships explained.

Thomasina Hanbury (Thom) – Emma Appleton

A brilliant, solitary inventor who builds Lola, a machine that taps into future radio and TV signals. Thom is driven by curiosity and a longing to shape the world, becoming increasingly single-minded as Lola’s power grows. Her confidence in Lola leads her to manipulate others and, ultimately, align with a fascist regime before dying in the final confrontation.

🧪 Inventor 💡 Visionary 🎯 Ambitious

Martha Hanbury (Mars) – Stefanie Martini

Thom’s sister and moral counterpoint, Mars is compassionate and cautious. She resists Thom’s escalating experiments, forms a bond with Holloway, and fights to keep Lola’s power in check. Mars sacrifices for others, helping to stage escapes and protect the greater good even as the world around them darkens.

💖 Compassionate 🧭 Rational 🕊️ Loyal

Major Henry Cobcroft – Aaron Monaghan

A skeptical but pragmatic military officer who recognizes Lola as a potential asset. He authorizes Holloway to investigate and coordinate the sisters’ messages, ultimately ordering their arrest when the threat of their influence becomes too great. Cobcroft embodies the tension between military pragmatism and ethical restraint.

⚔️ Military 🧭 Authority 🔎 Skepticism

Lt. Sebastian Holloway

A Royal Corps of Signals officer who tracks Lola’s source and becomes entwined with Mars. He acts as a liaison between the sisters and the military, helping to coordinate the messages and, eventually, forming a romantic bond with Mars. Holloway’s alliance with the sisters shifts as loyalties are tested.

🎖️ Military 🕵️‍♂️ Investigator 💗 Romance

Reginald Watson – Rory Fleck-Byrne

A musician whose fascist-tinged work appears as a disturbing omen of the future. He replaces a pop icon in a televised appearance, symbolizing how culture can be co-opted to align with authoritarian ideologies. Reginald becomes a key instrument in the manipulation of public perception.

🎵 Musician 🎭 Propaganda 🧭 Deception

LOLA Settings

Learn where and when LOLA (2023) takes place. Explore the film’s settings, era, and how they shape the narrative.

Time period

1940s (World War II era)

The story unfolds during the Second World War, beginning with the Blitz and moving through the broader conflict that shapes Britain’s defense and its allies. Lola’s ability to tap into signals from the future threads a complex connection between past and possible futures. The narrative spans from the isolated countryside to bombed cities and back, culminating in the war’s late stages.

Location

English countryside (isolated house), London, Southampton, Dover, Cornwall, Britain

An isolated house in the English countryside serves as the sisters’ workshop where Lola is built and tested. The setting shifts from tranquil rural life to a country-wide war front as the Blitz rages, forcing the sisters to broadcast warnings and influence events. The nearby towns and landscapes—London, Cornwall, Southampton, and Dover—frame escapes, captures, and the shifting loyalties of its inhabitants.

🌳 English countryside 🏚️ Isolated house 🇬🇧 Britain during WWII 🗺️ War-torn setting

LOLA Themes

Discover the main themes in LOLA (2023). Analyze the deeper meanings, emotional layers, and social commentary behind the film.

🕰️

Time travel

Lola’s access to future signals creates a precarious loop where actions in the present affect what is sensed as possible futures. The sisters’ attempts to influence events reveal the double-edged nature of knowledge across time. Hope and harm intertwine as warnings save lives but also destabilize established plans. The film questions whether it is right to alter history, even with the intention of preventing catastrophe.

🪖

War & Resistance

The WWII setting turns Lola into a covert tool for civilian protection and military advantage. Broadcasts become a lifeline during air raids, turning science into a form of civic resistance. The stakes rise as the sisters’ actions ripple through battles, alliances, and political shifts. The story frames how individuals harness extraordinary means within a total war.

⚖️

Power & Ethics

Thom’s growing mastery over Lola exposes the responsibilities that accompany immense knowledge. Mars embodies caution and humanity, challenging reckless experimentation. The line between benevolent innovation and dangerous manipulation blur as the sisters’ work potentially enables authoritarian regimes. The ending underscores the moral cost of wielding such power.

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LOLA Ending Explained

Unravel the ending of LOLA (2023) with our detailed explanation. Understand the final scenes, character fates, and unresolved questions.

In the final moments of Lola, the film skillfully blurs the line between reality and the past through its ambiguous ending. What we see is a newspaper clipping showing the sisters celebrating the end of World War II, suggesting that, somehow, the documentary Mars created from Lola’s recordings reached Thom in the past. This implies that Thom likely acted on the information she saw—potentially destroying Lola or altering her actions—to prevent the disastrous future Mars predicted. The image hints that, despite the chaos and tragedy, the sisters might have succeeded in changing history, with Lola disappearing from the house afterward.

The film’s ending leaves us pondering whether Thom managed to avert the catastrophic future altogether or if her manipulations merely delayed it, raising questions about the nature of time and consequence. The idea that Mars’ vision of the future—a Britain under Nazi rule with Thom revered and Thom herself embroiled in dangerous political intrigue—was ultimately a warning rather than a fixed outcome. Whether the sisters succeeded hinges on the possibility that their efforts, grounded in hope and sacrifice, changed the course of history, affirming the film’s meditation on how human actions—no matter how small—can ripple through time to craft a different future. The final scene suggests that the cycle may be broken, yet it also underscores the enduring uncertainty of whether history can truly be rewritten.

LOLA Spoiler-Free Summary

Discover the spoiler-free summary of LOLA (2023). Get a concise overview without any spoilers.

In a secluded English country house on the brink of World War II, two orphaned sisters forge an impossible link between the present and the days to come. Thom, a fiercely brilliant inventor, pours her restless intellect into a contraption she names LOLA—a device that can tap into radio and television signals from the future. Mars, her quieter, more reflective sibling, shares the isolation of their upbringing but balances Thom’s relentless curiosity with a steadier, empathetic outlook. Together they create a private window onto a world they can never physically visit, listening to songs that have yet to be written and hearing whispers of events that will shape humanity.

The film unfolds against a backdrop of wartime uncertainty, where the ordinary rhythms of a rural estate clash with the extraordinary potential of technology that bends time. The sisters’ quiet existence is subtly disrupted as they discover LOLA’s capacity to reveal hidden truths about the conflict raging beyond their walls. Their early experiments feel like a secret partnership with destiny, an invitation to lend aid to a cause larger than themselves while remaining safely removed from the front lines. The tone balances the hushed intimacy of their home life with the exhilarating, almost reverent awe of hearing the future—a blend of period drama and speculative science that keeps the audience perched on the edge of each new transmission.

As the sisters explore the possibilities of their invention, a growing tension emerges. Thom becomes increasingly consumed by the power to shape outcomes, dreaming of a world redesigned by her hand. Mars, meanwhile, watches the ripple effects of their meddling with a cautious eye, uneasy about the moral weight of altering history. Their bond is tested by the alluring promise of control and the looming question of how far one should go when the line between guidance and manipulation blurs. The story invites viewers to linger in the uneasy space where curiosity meets responsibility, setting the stage for a profound examination of power, ethics, and sibling loyalty.

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