Gareth Crook
The 'thing' about this film is the one continuous shot. Which is a shame in many ways as it's got much more going for it than that. It's wonderful! The camerawork is effortless, it melts in and flows with the scene, putting the viewer at the heart of the film. Cameraman Sturla Brandth Grøvlen deserves a huge shout out. It helps that the plot unfolds beautifully, slowly introducing the cast, their story, their building relationships. There's menace, tenderness and intrigue woven into a 2 hour rollercoaster. It's very intimate with several great performances, the most staggering from Laia Costa and in short the entire thing is bloody fantastic! and yeah it's one shot, no cuts, which on top of everything else makes this very special.
Javier Negron
Probably, just probably, the most depressive movie of all time. This movie could have two different reviews and it all depends in the moment and place you decide to view this one. Isn't the same if you see this movie in a cinema with a lot of people talking and not paying attention on the movie, with babies crying, with two people kissing each other and making jokes in the front row that seeing these masterpiece alone at your house, in the night and thinking about life. Things change quickly and the environment affect your opinion about a movie. I see these movie when I was making so many important decisions for my future and I never felt so powerless seeing a movie since probably "Nocturnal Animals". I only recommend these movie to you if you're in the mood for a depressive movie and have the guts to hold on all the damage the characters of "Victoria" do to themselves. And I need to admit,I'm not to fan of movies where the lead role falls in a woman, but Laia Costa deserve more nominations to academy awards, she truly put the rod high for future German movies try to overcome these European gem.
mr-44564
I have watched 3 movies this weekend. Namely Toni Erdmann, Alaska and this one. Just to be fair I am native speaking German and I get the humor from Germany and felt sort "comfortable" watching the night out with a lot of funny jokes at the beginning. Just to put it clear, no American girl would have even talked to these 4 guys to begin with, so she definitely had some issues going on. Next, it think the filming is done very basic with few close shots or or tricks that make a movie more watchable. It is kinda entertaining to the point where the guys are "sort of" forced to Rob a bank. Anyone who knows Germany knows that the cops are pretty good and if you're going dancing into an club after robbing a bank you probably get caught. It seems pretty basic starting from the story plot to the execution. A Hollywood movie would have been able to summarize this night out in 30 minutes. Nothing against German filmmaking, but if you watch Toni Erdmann you see some more sophisticated stuff going on
Ziglet_mir
THE film of 2015 and possibly of this decade. I urgently put this on my films to watch as soon as I discovered it and I'm really glad I stumbled upon it late one night perusing IMDb. Sebastian Schipper directs a monumental project of a film done in one take. One friggin' take. I understand this has been done before once or twice, but it is assuredly a rare feat. Victoria was recommended to me a few times, and I did not take long to track it down and finally watch it on Netflix. It left me in awe. I sat staring at the TV screen unable to move and silent minutes after the final moments were upon the screen. The film is tremendously raw, and because of the continuous take technique, the viewer feels like part of the crew. The real-time lapse is incredibly effective and becomes a tone- setter early on.The first 40 minutes is a bit of a slow-burn setting up the characters and getting the viewer attached to the lead, Victoria. If one does not know the plot, I can guarantee that they will be in for quite the shock as the slow-burn turns realistically frightening, as the viewer begins to wonder what this young woman will do with the situation presented to her. The most interesting part of the film is possibly the spontaneity of Victoria and what exactly draws her to these "real Berlin guys". Is she just a thrill- seeker? Is she simply loyal? Does she like Sonne? Her character unfurls greatly during intimate moments on her night out on the town, and we watch her change mightily as we see parts of the climax truly effect her and change her.The cast is all fantastic lead by a truly tremendous and no holds barred tour-de-force performance by the stunning Laia Costa. I would dare put her performance in the same category as what I consider the "Masterclass": Burt Lancaster in Elmer Gantry, Peter Sellers in Dr. Strangelove, Dennis Hopper in Blue Velvet, Colin Firth in Apartment Zero, Kate Winslet in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Daniel-Day Lewis in There Will Be Blood, and Joaquin Phoenix in The Master. The masterpiece of 2015 and possibly the masterpiece of this decade.
AD
