Review: One-take 'Victoria' is thrilling without feeling gimmicky

You could argue that Victoria, the title character of Sebastian Schipper's bold one-night-in-Berlin drama, displays poor judgment when it comes to the company she keeps, the cars she agrees to climb into.

It could also be argued that four-star hotels are more discerning about guests looking for a room without a reservation and that there are probably surveillance cameras in those elevators, too. And wouldn't the Berlin police show a little more skill in cordoning off an apartment building where a couple of fugitives are hiding out?

But nit-picking details can't take away from the fact that Schipper and company have pulled off a deft, daring feat: Victoria, which stars Laia Costa as a young woman from Madrid working as a barista and dancing the night away in Berlin clubs, has been shot in one nimble, single, two-hours-plus continuous take. The camera tracks Costa and her costars as they weave and scramble from disco to alleyway to rooftop, as the actress sits at a piano and hammers out an impressive Liszt waltz, as they swig Schnapps, snort stimulants, grab guns, and, yes, plan a heist. No edits. None.

Lost in the dreamy pulse of some electronic dance music in the wee hours of the day, Victoria meets four guys - Sonne (Frederick Lau), Boxer (Franz Rogowski), Blinker (Burak Yigit), and Fuss (Max Mauff) - and decides to share drinks with them, and then the night air. Most of the dialogue is improvised, but rarely does it ring false. Sonne has the look of a dog hoping for a juicy scrap, following Victoria around and learning a bit about her troubles when she explains that impromptu piano recital. There are shards of anger and alienation there, to be sure, beneath her up-for-anything smile.

And hooking up with Sonne and his crew puts that up-for-anything credo to the test. By the time Schipper and his ace director of photography, Sturla Brandth Grøvlen, have trailed Victoria and Sonne to the aforementioned hotel, the pair have turned into a kind of Euro-hipster Bonnie and Clyde, on the run from the law - and from their lives.

Victoria is thrilling cinema, and just plain thrilling, too.

srea@phillynews.com

215-854-5629

@Steven_Rea

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Directed by Sebastian Schipper.

With Laia Costa, Frederick Lau,

Franz Rogowski, and Burak Yigit.

In English, and in German with subtitles. Distributed by Adopt Films.

Running time: 2 hours, 18 mins.

Parent's guide: No MPAA rating (violence, profanity, nudity, adult themes).

Playing at: Ritz Bourse.EndText