Victoria (German, 2015)

One can’t help but applaud the effort that has gone into filming the entire movie in one shot. Against common notion that this would need minimal camera movements to even attempt it, it was pure awesomeness to see it pulled off in style with more movements that you can ever imagine – special work from Sturla Brandth Grøvlen indeed!

The most deserving candidate who can take credit for the success of this movie is of course the director, Sebastian Schipper. His vision is truly unmatched for the sheer ingenuity and bravado to attempt something like this! His meticulous planning has enabled this movie to be filmed in one shot and the suspense is held supreme without needing an editor to achieve it.

Not everything on paper comes good on screen unless the actors come to the party, and they did arrive big time! As we learn that the movie was shot 4 times before reaching the final output, the lead actors never showed an ounce of exhaustion in this marathon effort and made convincing portrayals while even a small miss would have had the team rewind from scratch. Laia Costa as Victoria was quite a revelation, especially in the scene at the café where she performs one of the Mephisto Waltzes.

The story discusses the life of Victoria over the decisions she makes in one night. The insane nature of decisions she makes is made to look as sane as possible with a proper story line that establishes the connect she makes with the random group she meets. The scenes in the roof top and the Café are executed perfectly to help the story progress towards the goal.

Though all the wizardry from the crew and brilliant support from the cast to get the movie filmed in one shot does provide a mind blowing experience, the physical effects start to show on us with a constantly moving frame enough to make many of us groggy by the time the movie finishes. One too many mimed or slow-motion scenes and a dragged out climax do not help either.