Victoria

...Is most impressive for its concept, the logistics needed to carry it out, and its sustained performances without a single cut. It hopes to involve the viewer as a participant in the story by following one girl's experiences over the course of two-and-a-quarter hours. It begins shortly before dawn, playing out in real time in one long, uninterrupted take from beginning to end.

The first hour or so sets up the characters as Victoria (Laia Costa), a recent immigrant to Berlin from her native Spain, meets four rather grungy local men while dancing and drinking in a flashy nightclub. They convince her to come with them as they wander aimlessly around the city, and then must go off to an appointment with a local gangster who wants them to pull off a robbery he's planned.

Unfortunately, the film really plods its way through much of the first hour, but of course the single-take concept eliminates the possibility for editing the dull parts. Ideally the script should have been pruned to establish the basics and then get into the main plot much sooner. Luckily the last hour and a half picks up both pace and tension dramatically once Victoria commits to accompanying these rather shiftless hoods to their meeting as their driver. It soon becomes quite gripping and much more involving with the plot's quick turns of events and limited point-of-view.

I've seen Enter the Void, Funny Games, Descent... And just other awesomely unique films that left me pondering for more and wanting to read into every possible angle I could think of. I then usually want to write my own review but I'm usually too lazy to even make an account to write one up. Well this film inspired me enough to do so. That almost says enough right there but I'll give my reasoning for why I can't get this film out of my head. I should probably first say that as an American without having any subtitles- it made this movie ever more confusing and intense. I truly felt like I was Victoria. I wouldn't have made any of the decisions she chose to make but come on people- It's a movie- get over it! Especially with something like this. It's not even about the actions taking place as it is the emotions that the characters portray and instantly it relates to you b/c you've been "hanging out" with them for the whole movie. This movie is just awesome how you just become Victoria essentially and you're on this mysterious 2 hr journey that doesn't stop. There's no cuts to explosions and pointless deaths. It's not quite the smoothest ride but that builds the intensity until there's finally a simple plot satisfaction that would leave most Americans less satisfied b/c we overall don't know what's good for us. Needless to say though, I've never felt more on edge and like I had an actual real life experience from a movie. Other than of course the masterful camera work and direction, there's nothing absolutely spectacular to tell you to look out for-- It's just a solid movie experience that provides a full spectrum of good acting, mystery, action, emotionally driven scenes backed by a great soundtrack. If you want to watch a movie and you're insanely tired of the same ole crap- this just isn't a unique idea for a movie-- it is a movie idea that was executed perfectly and left me wanting more and believing in what I saw. Watch It! Watch It now!

Shot in real time, filmed in one continuous take & made all the more believable by excellent performances from its cast, Victoria has that foreboding ambiance that keeps giving off the vibe that something unfortunate is about to happen all the time and even though its single- take gimmick is attention grabbing, it's the story & characters that hold this film together.

Victoria covers a couple of hours in the life of its titular character, a young Spanish woman in Berlin who, while leaving a club one early morning, meets four local guys who invite her to hang out with them for a while, to which she agrees. Although her adventurous night out with them ends on an amicable note, a last-minute favour asked by the guys alters her life forever.

Co-written & directed by Sebastian Schipper, the story of Victoria could've been easily told without the filmmakers trying to be ambitious with the camera but that added inventiveness brings an admiration of its own. The first half establishes the background of the characters as they stroll through Berlin streets & roofs but the next half is one nail-bitingly tense thriller that ups the ante considerably.

Its single take lasting 138 minutes might be the combined result of clever editing, seamless switching & careful masking but what impressed me most is the fact that despite it being an impressive technical feat, it never for once overshadows the unfolding drama which remains the centerpiece throughout its runtime. The actors are highly convincing in their given roles, which only gets better as the plot progresses, and it only helps in further uplifting the story.

On an overall scale, Victoria ends on a far better note than where it appeared to be heading during the first act, keeps its main focus on the titular character from beginning to end, and manages to be an emotionally rewarding experience with or without the one-shot gimmick. Devoting as much attention to its story as it invests in pulling off its technically challenging production, this German thriller deserves to be ranked amongst the finest films of this year. Thoroughly recommended.

I never really write reviews or tell anyone about the stuff I watch, but for Victoria, I just had to make an exception

I was never so drawn into a movie before, it was amazing. The characters act so natural you really feel like you are experiencing this night with them for real. No 3D or any fancy stuff that movies do today can draw you into a film this much.

Sometimes during the movie - because all the location changes are perfect - I wondered how much time since the beginning of the movie has passed in "their world" - and then it came to me! You are with them all along, there is no timeskip, no narrating, nothing that could put your focus away from whats important:

The five characters and that fateful night.

I tell everyone I meet that they should go watch this movie: once this has been to a few more filmfestivals and stuff, there is no doubt that it will become a massive hit. I think this movie even surpasses "the life of the others" and I definitely would recommend it as one of the best German movies I know.

A night out alone for a Spanish immigrant, in a nightclub drinking shots she meets some guys she may lament, as they grab her by the hand and in one take she is enraptured, everything that she then does is caught on film, one piece all captured. On the streets over two hours where the past recalls a debt, a modest bank transaction to acquire, seek out and get, best laid plans do not turn out to be effective or thought through, it's not long before the state is chasing, running, lights on blue.

Wonderful performances all round, in a film that takes your breath away with what it seeks to achieve, and ultimately does spectacularly.