“Victoria” is a 2015 German drama film directed by Sebastian Schipper, starring Laia Costa and Frederick Lau. (Photo : YouTube)
"Victoria" is a 2015 German drama film directed by Sebastian Schipper, starring Laia Costa and Frederick Lau. The noteworthy point is its filming style, filmed in a single continuous take.
The movie's tagline says it all: "One City. One Night. One Take." The heist thriller is shot in one single long take by Sturla Brandth Grovlen from about 4:30 a.m. to 7:00 a.m. in the Kreuzberg and Mitte neighborhoods. Schipper completed the filming in three attempts. The script consisted of twelve pages, with most of the dialogue being improvised.
The protagonist Victoria (Laia Costa) is a Spanish girl who has moved to Berlin three months ago, works in a cafe for, does not speak German and does not know anybody in the new city. Leaving a club early in the morning after a night of dancing and drinking, she meets four young men who are denied entry to the club. They are Sonne, Boxer, Blinke, and Fuss.
The boys ask her to take a stroll through the city and she agrees. After shoplifting some alcohol from a shop, they all get on the roof of an apartment building where they drink and smoke marijuana together. They all made some candid confessions while drinking and smoking marijuana together.
Boxer reveals that he spent time in jail for throbbing someone. When Victoria tells the others that she has to leave because she must open up the cafe she works at in a short time.
Sonne, who was flirting with her the whole time, suggests accompanying her there and she agrees. When Sonne and Victoria left, Sonne is told by Boxer to return soon. It is implied that the four men have planned something significant to do this night.
The four boys steal a car and drive away and came back a few minutes later because Fuss, who had been deeply intoxicated before, has now fallen unconscious. A worried Boxer insists that Sonne ask Victoria to replace Fuss and help them.
Sonne tells Victoria that Boxer had been under the protection of goon named Andi while he was in prison and now Andi demands that Boxer pay him back for his services. For this, Andi has asked Boxer to get three allies and bring them to a meeting with him this night. None of them knows the purpose of the meeting.
Victoria instantly gives her consent to help them. She drives Sonne, Boxer and Blinker to the meeting place, a parking garage where Andi is waiting with several armed men. He demands that they have to commit a bank robbery this morning for a hefty amount.
Andi will take some money as pay off and leave the rest of the money to them. As they all agree to rob the bank, slowly it all unfolds into a commotion. Fully-loaded with the twists and turns that lead to a bank robbery, the kidnapping of a baby, and murder.
The movie is a must watch for its unique filming style and storyline. Costa gives a splendidly committed performance. Schipper's direction is commendable. Running time of the film is 138 minutes.
"Victoria" has received positive reviews from critics. On Rotten Tomatoes,the film has a rating of 81 percent, based on 16 reviews, with an average rating of 7.8/10. Critics' consensus says: "Victoria's single-take production is undeniably impressive, but it's also an effective drama in its own right -- and one that juggles its tonal shifts as deftly as its technical complexities."
On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 80 out of 100, based on 9 critics, indicating "Generally favorable reviews."
The score was composed and produced by Nils Frahm. An album version of the soundtrack was released on 12 June. Grovlen won a Silver Bear at the Berlin International Film Festival for extraordinary artistic contribution for their work on the film.
At the German Film Awards 2015, Victoria received the awards for Best Feature Film, Direction, Actress in a Leading Role (Costa), Actor in a Leading Role (Lau), Cinematography and Music.
It was screened in the main competition section of this year's Berlin International Film Festival where it won the Silver Bear for Outstanding Artistic Contribution for Cinematography. It received the German Film Award in six categories, including Best Feature Film.
It has also been selected to be shown in the Special Presentations section of the 2015 Toronto International Film Festival. "Victoria" is set to release on Oct. 9 in the United States.
