I have always been fascinated by directors who utilize long takes in their films. By concocting a lengthy shot, filmmakers expect the most from their actors as well as the cameramen, and in so doing, make the audience feel as if they are walking the same path that the characters are journeying. Numerous directors have been successful at elongating the editing pace in which we are accustomed to, a few that immediately come to mind are Brian De Palma, Alfonso Cuarón and Martin Scorsese.
Similarly, certain filmmakers have crafted motion pictures that appear to be done in one extended take, with Alfred Hitchcock first giving it a shot in his 1948 movie Rope. Constrained by the limits of film at the time, each shot was ten minutes long (the length of film one could use at a single time), with each concluding moment (at the ten minute mark) finding a clever way to transition to the next reel without looking like they had ever stopped filming. But, with the advent of digital cameras, directors have been able to extend the process in a way that someone like Hitchcock would never have had the ability to do. Perhaps some of you have heard of Alexander Sokurov’s 2002 flick Russian Ark, which is actually one single shot that runs ninety six minutes. This past year another filmmaker, Sebastian Schipper, conquered the daunting feat with his two hour and eighteen minute motion picture Victoria.
The twelve page script (which means that much of the dialogue was highly improvised), follows Victoria (Laia Costa), a Spanish twenty-something living in Berlin, Germany. We first meet her at a psychedelic night club where she is grooving to the music. When she leaves the venue, she meets four guys who are getting hassled by those in charge at the front door. As our lead exits the club, she meanders through the early morning streets with the group, who introduce themselves as Sonne (Frederick Lau), Boxer (Franz Rogowski), Blinker (Burak Yigit), and Fuß (Max Mauff). The rabblerousers win over the young lonely woman, convincing her to join them on their escapades – despite the fact that she needs to get some sleep before she heads to her job at a coffee shop (where she has the opening shift in a few short hours). Victoria is immediately smitten with Sonne and we can tell that the feeling is mutual. The could-be-couple enter a twenty four hour convenience store, where they steal a few beers as well as a bag of nuts while the owner is sleeping at the counter.
They then make their way up onto the roof of a high rise apartment building – a place that they clearly are not supposed to be. Victoria eventually insists that she must head to the café, where she will catch a few winks before opening the shop. Sonne escorts her to the nearby locale. She invites him in and they continue their conversation. In one of the more profound moments, we watch Victoria play the “Mephisto Waltz” by Franz Liszt on the piano, symbolic of Faust dancing with the devil. She bares her soul to Sonne, melancholically explaining that she has practised seven hours every day for her whole life, yet the conservatory claimed that she was still not strong enough to move on. The tune epitomizes the situation that she is in, as Boxer soon barges in, needing Sonne for some sort of job they are pulling. The gang leave, only to return minutes later with an ailing Fuß, who is highly inebriated. Boxer, who is more than frantic, pushes Sonne to convince Victoria to be their driver and she surprisingly accepts.
We soon learn that Boxer owes a favour to a man who was providing him with protection while he served out his jail sentence. The job, a bank heist, must be done tonight. The goal: to steal fifty thousand Euro from a specific individual whose cash sits in the building. It will be split evenly amongst the four robbers and the criminal who gave them the instructions.
They meet the gangster, Andi (André Hennicke), and his armed guards in an underground parking lot where he walks them through the plan. After providing the foursome with drugs that will make them brave (and limit their jail sentence if they are caught) and guns, the team take the vehicle they have stolen to the bank.
We would perhaps think that the camera would journey with the three men as they pull off the robbery, yet it stays in the car with Victoria as she deals with an unexpected problem that I will not reveal. It is a surprising decision that adds more tension to the already high stress scenario and can be seen as one of the film’s standout moments.
Things carry on for quite some time, though I think I will leave you here to experience the final third of the movie for yourself.
Victoria is a risky offering that magically paid off. Though it obviously has a limited frame of vision, as it never leaves our female lead, it makes us feel as though we are an additional member of the group. It is rare that we feel so involved in the life of fake characters, but this one-take film makes us feel like we are a part of the gang.
One must also marvel at the performances. Mostly improvised, it is amazing that the dialogue does not feel contrived. It is a unique mixture of English and German that makes up the lengthy discussions, so there are some subtitles. Laia Costa does a masterful job with the momentous task, channelling a large number of varied emotions. The four main men also do fine jobs. Each has a certain charm or charisma, Frederick Lau being the most even keeled and romantic. Franz Rogowski brings more of an edge to his role as he has more on the line (remember that he owes a gangster money). He is the quickest to anger. Burak Yigit does an excellent job as his character struggles with a major panic attack as the big happening approaches. It is rare that I do this, but I will also highlight the work of cameraman and cinematographer Sturla Brandth Grøvlen – he does a brilliant job following the cast for more than two hours. His camera work never feels strained despite the lack of a break, always capturing the right emotion or actions on film at the right time. One has to shake their head at the number of things that could have gone wrong (such as Victoria standing on top of the back of a bike as Sonne rides it – imagine if she fell). The film making team only had three opportunities to make the movie – nailing it on the third and final try. They had a limited amount of time to attempt the gargantuan feat (between 4:30 and 7A.M.) for three straight days; thankfully they succeeded. Funnily enough, Costa screwed up during one of the driving scenes, taking the wrong turn. We hear everyone react in a raucous way as she was taking them right by the crew (which would have ruined the shoot for good).
Victoria is a remarkable movie in so many ways. It miraculously finds a way to make a heist film feel different by filming it in one single take. Though the heist is likely unrealistic, the characters and the premise feel utterly real. It is a cool, risky, guttural motion picture that oozes unorthodox style. It is the type of stunt that soon becomes the thing that dreams are made of – becoming part of legendary movie lore. So, take a trip through the night covered streets of Berlin with Victoria and the gang to experience this outstandingly creative flick.