Fearless and virtuosic, Victoria‘s one-take style is both a fascinating formal experiment and a thrilling, interpolating cinematic technique in its own right.

Nils Frahm’s hypnotic and atmospheric score perfectly complements the film’s two predominant moods of tension and euphoria as the naturalistic performances sell some otherwise questionable character motives.

Between the glorious highs (most notably the pulsating club scenes) Victoria‘s own real-time nature counts against it – it is overlong, and by definition there are lulls due to the necessary travel times between destinations. This downtime is not utilised as fully as it could be in terms of character development.

Rich in atmosphere and never less than impressive, Victoria proves that ambitious, genuine one-take films are not just possible, but can also be utterly scintillating. 

RATING: 4/5

INFORMATION

CAST: Laia Costa, Frederick Lau, Franz Rogowski, Burak Yigit

DIRECTOR: Sebastian Schipper

WRITERS: Sebastian Schipper, Olivia Neergaard-Holm, Eike Frederik Schulz

SYNOPSIS: Travelling in Berlin, Victoria (Costa) makes some new friends whilst clubbing – flirtation quickly turns to danger as she realises they’re in hot water with a local gang.