FREE ON CINEGEEK.DE Sebastian Schipper - Victoria


I am very happy that we are offering Victoria in our "Corona Cinema" today. This is not only one of the most rented films in our video store, but also one of our most successful films in our open air cinema "Nomad Cinema"!

Victoria is a breathtaking technical achievement! That's how it is announced on the poster: One city, one night, one take. For 138 minutes Sebastian Schipper and his team filmed the whole film in one. They did this a few times and in the end they simply chose the best version. In other words, there's no cheating here. No hidden cuts, for example when a door is closed or someone walks along a suspicious wall. Schipper films in real time at night in Berlin and develops his story into an intense action film. Unfortunately, the second half is not as thrilling as the first half, because the characters (to fulfill the one take?) have to make some crazy decisions. By the way, the best thing about Victoria is not the technical work, but the performance of the great leading actress Laia Costa. From the very first take she tells us that this will be one of the most memorable nights of her life. It is Costa the camera falls in love with - she is the star of the film! When Victoria comes out of a club, she attracts the attention of a group of boys. It is understandable, as beautiful and lively as she looks! Victoria has been in Berlin for three months and doesn't know her way around yet. One of the boys, Sonne (Frederick Lau), starts flirting with her. During the first half Victoria is a realistic, beautifully observed love movie (unlike you might think!). Victoria and Sonne, they stroll through the night together and talk. Sturla Brandth Grovlen's camera circles around the beautiful couple. The conversations of the two seem sincere and real - and I think that we are witnessing the beginning of a special love. Sometimes the film even dares to show Victoria performing acrobatic feats on Sonny's bike - what would have happened to the one take if Costa had fallen? The climax: Victoria impressively plays piano for Sun. At the latest here the flirt develops into love (we can feel it in his eyes). Victoria pours her heart out, saying that after years at the conservatory she is not good enough for a professional career after all. We now know that Victoria is a lonely person. Then Sonne's phone rings and from that moment on Schipper's film gets a little lost. One of the friends from the group is too drunk to help with an "easy" task. Boxer, who was in prison and seems dangerous to us from the beginning, has a problem. He has to meet someone he owes a "favour". Victoria drives the group, she stands in for the drunk (she does this mainly on her own). Schipper's film develops into a bank robbery thriller. Victoria becomes more hectic, also more impatient. The camera itself becomes a character in the film (this is also because we sometimes wonder how the cameraman got up the stairs or just got into the car with us). Oftentimes the camera also seems as if it just doesn't want to leave Victoria alone in the strange city. Costa plays simply perfectly! The way her looks convey the mood of the moment, whether during the flirt with the sun or in the fearful second act. Victoria often takes the position of an observer of the madness around her. Unfortunately, I found the film a little too long. Victoria doesn't behave any different than the party noses of a danced through night and stays a bit too long... In the end, I only remembered the great moments of the film. All the criticism I bring up here - it doesn't really count! If there is one nice compliment I would like to pay to the team, it is this: Victoria is not only a film with one take, but above all with a stunning character!