Victoria (2015)

Sebastian Schipper’s film sparked a flurry of interest on its release, mainly to do with the fact that it was completed in one take. It was far from being the first film to claim such a feat; indeed, Alejandro González Iñárritu’s Birdman had won Best Picture at the Oscars the year before for his single shot film.

The difference here is that Iñárritu’s film was edited to make it look as if it was one take; Schipper’s is genuinely one take, filmed over a two and half hour period between 4.30am and 7am one morning in Berlin.

The film follows Victoria as she leaves a Berlin nightclub, before meeting four young men who have just been refused entry from the club.

The camera then follows these characters around until the films conclusion, but far from being dull, Victoria is relentless in its tension and foreboding feeling; you know the playful feel to the initial interaction between the characters can’t last, but you can’t put your finger on why that is.

Victoria works so well because you believe in each one of the slim cast, all of the five main actors are superb. You certainly question Victoria’s (Laia Costa) decision making in continuing to stick with the boys at certain points, but by the same token Costa’s performance is so extraordinary that you completely believe in the character.

The second half of the film is remarkable; it transubstantiates from drama to crime thriller, and ratchets up the strain to breaking point, making for a very original, magnificent cinematic experience. 8.7/10