Victoria

When I saw the trailer of Victoria I was really interested in the movie, because I am a fan of Sebastian Schipper, who directed also "Absolute Giganten", one of the best German movies in recent years. German cinema had to struggle in the last years, too many movies about the German past or really bad and soulless comedies flooded the market. Only really few risks were taken and some of them were pretty good E.g. "Zeit der Kannibalen", but for the most part they sucked.

So...there comes Victoria, a movie by a experienced director, with (for the most part) unknown faces in the cast, a really small crew and shot in a single take in a night in Berlin. Latter is something truly unconventional for a German film, so I went into the theater expecting a good unconventional German movie.

What I got was a masterpiece. Victoria is not only the best German movie in years, but (IMHO) the best movie of the year yet. The tracking shot in the movie isn't only there for effect and a showcase of the cinematographers talent, but a essential part of the films main story, that unfolds around a Spanish girl named Victoria, that meets a bunch of "real Berlin guys", so they call themselves, in the middle of the night. You experience the story of Victoria in real time, you see live character development for instance.

That, the down to earth acting and plot make the movie so incredibly immersive that it becomes something completely new and fresh, which is incredibly rare in recent years. I don't want to give away more about the plot, so I'll talk about the acting. The acting in this movie is fantastic, the dialogue is actually completely improvised, so that the actors, especially the fantastic Laia Costa and Frederick Lau, become these characters in those 140 minutes and it feels real. It feels like they are actual existing persons.

The cinematography is brilliant, Sturla Brandth Grøvlen does a fantastic job in accompanying the main characters and even if there are some shaky parts, which was expected, its never annoying and the viewer becomes the camera. Another aspect of this movie that I adored was the soundtrack. It was perfectly suited in supporting the atmosphere and hypnotic.

I left the theater speechless, what happens in the final act will either throw you off, or you will be completely exhilarated. Either way: Watch this movie and support movies with original concepts, only like this we will continue to get better movies than the usual dog**** from Hollywood and co.

Victoria is a truly exhilarating masterpiece and the first time I felt like watching a new kind of cinema in a long time. Go and watch it. Its worth it.

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.

As a Belgian, i watched today this movie. I have to say, i had huge expectations about this movie. Thanks to the trailer that i liked, and because i like similar experimental movies. After that i watched the movie, i have to say, i am completely overwhelmed by the movie.

This is a strong movie with also a lot of emotion. The movie has some good experimental film techniques, and the choice of making the movie in one take is a very good choice. There is no moment where the movie became boring, and there is also no Hollywood like action. It is just well balanced. The story is also very good and emotional, thanks to the exceptional acting performances. The dialogs are also very realistic, and made me think about times when i go out. It is just so realistic.

This movie is also the kind of movie that keeps in your mind for days, even weeks. So watch this movie, and do a pleasure for yourself. You won't regret it.

Because this movie is a real masterpiece.

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!

As a Berlin native (and around the same age as the protagonists) I really sunk into this movie. The endless club nights, the locations, the expats, the shitty drunk English conversations, even the childish nagging between Sonne, Boxer, Blinker and Fuss hit home. For me it was wonderful to see how "accurate" these characters were displayed, since I now at least one real person that fits each character.

Now, I'm not just giving this movie a pass for that alone. Amazingly, most of the dialogue was improvised, which is an achievement for itself, but also adds to the realism of the characters. And listen guys, the whole movie is ONE SINGLE SHOT! That's right. You will witness a +2 hour movie with countless changing locations and improvised dialogue. And I haven't even talked about the score. Nils Frahm knows what he is doing when changing techno with slow pace ambient.

While I agree that in between the pace of the movie is slow, it never took me out of the movie. The story, while being nothing special, lives through the characters and cinematic style.

If you have the chance to witness this movie in the theaters, I wholeheartedly recommend it.