Yes, it is the same character; there's no ambiguity about it. The dialogue, the photos of Lola's earlier life that she shows to George, and the fact that the role is played by the same actress all make it completely clear.
shareYes, and this film is really underrated. Imagine Lola going to L.A. in the late 1960's and having experiences there that are shot something like the way George Lucas shot "American Graffiti". That might give you some idea of the film. I am not saying it is perfect, but look at Antonioni's "Zabriskie Point" in comparison. That movie hardly got one decent review, but it was out for months and a lot of people saw it. "The Model Shop" was just dumped unnoticed. You would think that the studio could have marketed it as an American youth film by the director of "The Umbrellas of Cherbourg" and got some sort of audience, but they didn't even try. Demy is, on the whole, a little too sticky for me, but I was surprised that this film really wasn't sentimental at all. I liked it so much that I'll stick my neck out and say that it is a small masterpiece.
shareI completely agree with you Kriege10 (although that's not to denigrate "Zabriskie Point", which I think isn't too bad), and I, too, thought of Antonioni while watching this. It's the drifting characters contrasted with a very specific sense of place, I guess. Agree, too, about it being a small masterpiece.
One thing to add that might interest the original poster, though. When Lola tells us her life story (ie what's happened to her since the film "Lola"), she mentions that her husband ran off with a gambler in Las Vegas, which fans of Demy may recognize as Jeanne Moreau's character from "La Baie des Anges". A little in-joke, I guess.
Plus, a quick note to Kriege. I tried to come up with a defence of "A brighter summer's day" on that board in response to your attack on the film. Wondered if you'd seen it?