--- title: "Victoria" year: 2015 kind: "film" canonical: "https://film.one/film/victoria" fi1m_score: 76 critics_score: 77 critics_reviews: 25 published: "2026-09-17T12:36:59.367158+00:00" updated: "2026-09-17T12:36:59.922400+00:00" region: "US" licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Victoria (2015) Directed by Sebastian Schipper · 2h 18m · MPA NR · Crime, Thriller, Romance **Fi1m score: 76** · Critics 77 from 25 reviews *In a sentence:* One shot, no cuts, and the getaway driver still has to open the café at seven > Sebastian Schipper’s Berlin night really is one unbroken 138-minute shot, and it is more than a stunt: Laia Costa carries it from dance floor to getaway car. The first hour rambles and the last half hour is a crime film we have seen before. ## Synopsis Berlin, four in the morning. Victoria (Laia Costa), a Spanish woman a few months into the city, is dancing alone in a basement club. On her way out she meets four men who have just been turned away at the door: Sonne (Frederick Lau), Boxer (Franz Rogowski), Blinker (Burak Yiğit) and Fuß (Maximilian Mauff). She has no one waiting for her and goes along. They steal beer from a kiosk, climb to a rooftop and talk in broken English, the only language they share, and Sonne walks her to the café she must open at seven. Then Boxer’s phone rings: he owes a man called Andi (André Hennicke) from his time in prison, and the debt is due tonight. The whole film is one unbroken 138-minute take. ## Review Sebastian Schipper’s *Victoria* was shot in one take. Not one take with the joins hidden, as *Birdman* was, but 138 minutes of a Berlin night with the camera never switched off, from a club floor at four in the morning to the streets after sunrise. The tagline says One City. One Night. One Take. and it means it. It is a good film and a real achievement, and it is about half an hour longer than its story. Victoria (Laia Costa) is a Spanish woman a few months into the city, dancing alone because she came alone. On her way out she falls in with four men who have been refused at the door: Sonne (Frederick Lau), Boxer (Franz Rogowski), Blinker (Burak Yiğit) and Fuß (Maximilian Mauff). They speak no Spanish and she speaks no German, so the night happens in bad English. They steal beer from a kiosk, climb to a rooftop, drink and boast and fall over. Much of this is improvised and some of it is thin. We were restless by the forty-minute mark and beginning to suspect the take was the whole point. Then Victoria opens up the café where she has to be at seven, Sonne follows her in, and she sits at the piano. She plays, properly, and tells him she spent years at a conservatoire before being told she would never be good enough. Costa’s face barely changes as she says it. That scene got at us more than we expected, partly because we had already written the film off as a lark, and from there on the night has a weight it did not have on the roof. Sturla Brandth Grøvlen’s camera is the fifth member of the group. He stays at shoulder height and close, and he must have walked backwards down more staircases than anyone in the trade. In the club the image is strobe and shadow; on the street it goes grainy under orange sodium light; by the end it has drained to the flat grey of a Berlin dawn, and the change in the light is the film’s clock. Uli Friedrichs’s production design is mostly a matter of finding real places, a rooftop, an underground car park, a hotel lobby, and running the actors through them. They look like real places because they are. The turn comes when Boxer gets a call. He owes a man called Andi (André Hennicke) from his time in prison, the debt is due tonight, and the job needs four. Fuß is too drunk to stand, so Victoria drives. We will not describe what happens after the car park. We can say that Nils Frahm’s score, piano and low electronic drone, takes over from the street sound at the worst moments, so that we watch people shouting and hear only a chord, and that it frightened us. Frahm is also the film’s weakness when it wants to be moving: the piano tells us what to feel about faces that had already told us. Costa carries it. She begins giggling and game and ends with a face that has stopped registering anything, and the single take means we see every step between. Lau’s Sonne is soft, boastful and decent, and the two are believable together because both of them are tired. Rogowski gives Boxer a stillness the others have not got, and it makes him the one to watch. The last half hour is a crime film we have seen before: the panic, the hiding, the wrong decisions made in a hurry. Once the take has done its work of making us feel the hours, the story underneath is ordinary, and Victoria’s willingness to go along stretches past what Costa can cover. Olivia Neergaard-Holm is credited as editor on a film with no cuts, which tells you where the editing was done: beforehand, on paper, with Schipper and Eike Frederik Schulz, who also turns up behind the bar. That planning is what most critics have praised, and they are right to. The 15 certificate is fair: there is little blood and a great deal of dread. Watch it in one sitting, late, with the phone in another room. Pause it and you have added the cut Schipper spent 138 minutes avoiding. *Fi1m score 76, published 17 September 2026.* ### Reviews we read (25) - **Empire**, Liz Moody (90/100, inferred): The critic praises the film's technical achievement as a seamless two-hour-plus single take while highlighting its engaging character work and shift into a gripping thriller. Strong naturalistic performances, especially from Laia Costa and Frederick Lau, and impressive cinematography are singled out as strengths. [Read](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/victoria-review/) - **Film Comment**, Jonathan Romney (90/100, inferred): The critic praises the single-take structure for immersing viewers in the unpredictable flow of one intense Berlin night, highlighting the lead performance's range from naivety to feral intensity and the film's blend of euphoria, romance, and danger. [Read](https://www.filmcomment.com/film-of-the-week-victoria-sebastian-schipper/) - **Financial Times**, Nigel Andrews (90/100, inferred): The critic calls the film amazing and a headlong crime thriller-cum-romance filmed in a single take. They single out the pell-mell plot, wonderfully acted human moments of vulnerability and love alongside its hellish ones. [Read](https://www.ft.com/content/0d42345c-f72d-11e5-96db-fc683b5e52db) - **The Guardian** (90/100, inferred): The critic calls it a gripping heist drama captured in one continuous 138-minute shot, carried along on adrenaline and logistical daring. They single out the way the single-take format approximates accumulated fear and exhaustion while showing Victoria's character evolution. [Read](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2016/mar/31/victoria-review-one-take-berlin-schipper-heist-thriller) - **The New York Times**, Stephen Holden (Critic’s Pick): Victoria is a sensational cinematic stunt that conveys roller-coaster excitement while also contemplating millennial ennui. The one-take filming in real time across Berlin locations is singled out as its core achievement. [Read](https://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/09/movies/review-victoria-a-nonstop-flight-through-the-streets-of-berlin.html) - **The Times**, Ed Potton (90/100, inferred): The critic hails it as the film that out-Birdmans Birdman with a real unbroken two-hour-plus shot across 22 locations. They single out the power of the performances that make viewers feel they have been up all night with Victoria. [Read](https://www.thetimes.com/life-style/article/victoria-cjt8md2kk) - **Variety**, Guy Lodge (90/100, inferred): Victoria is exhilarating stunt filmmaking of a high order, a heady heist thriller suffused with grace and emotional authenticity. The virtuoso single-take camerawork by Sturla Brandth Grovlen is singled out as a major achievement. [Read](https://variety.com/2015/film/festivals/berlin-film-review-victoria-1201426918/) - **Little White Lies**, David Jenkins (3/4/3): The review finds the single-take approach sensational and an ode to filmmaking craft. It singles out the logistical achievement and how the technique supercharges the material, though notes the film is half great and half silly. [Read](https://lwlies.com/reviews/victoria) - **Time Out**, Dave Calhoun (4/5): The critic calls it an extraordinary, raw and exciting filmgoing experience. The astonishing single-take choreography and sense of immediacy and momentum are singled out for praise. [Read](https://www.timeout.com/london/film/victoria-2) - **Los Angeles Times**, Andy Klein (75/100, inferred): The film succeeds as an astounding technical feat with its claimed single continuous take across multiple locations and public spaces. Laia Costa is singled out as immensely appealing in conveying the protagonist's situation. [Read](https://www.latimes.com/socal/glendale-news-press/entertainment/andy-klein/tn-gnp-film-review-victoria-tells-its-crime-tale-in-one-take-20151017-story.html) - **RogerEbert.com**, Brian Tallerico (70/100, inferred): The film is a breathtaking technical accomplishment as a single-take heist thriller but the second half sags due to forced plot decisions and runs too long. The standout element is Laia Costa's mesmerizing lead performance as Victoria. [Read](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/victoria-2015) - **Sight and Sound**, Lisa Mullen (70/100, inferred): The critic praises the film's ambition and commitment despite tonal wavering. The single-take technique and strong performances by the leads are singled out as turning a potential gimmick into an engrossing portrait. [Read](https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/reviews/film-week-victoria) - **The Hollywood Reporter**, Stephen Dalton (70/100, inferred): The critic finds the single-take heist thriller a largely successful stylistic experiment that shifts effectively from talky drama to adrenaline-fueled action. The technical achievement and committed lead performances are highlighted as strengths. [Read](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/victoria-berlin-review-770825/) - **The AV Club**, Mike D'Angelo (C): The one-take gimmick is criticized as bloating the runtime and rendering the film empty, with the narrative lacking depth beyond the technical stunt. The appealing lead performance is noted but undermined by implausible plotting. [Read](https://www.avclub.com/victoria-demonstrates-why-it-s-a-bad-idea-to-shoot-a-mo-1798185149) - **Screen Daily** (50/100, inferred): The review finds the news mixed: moments of real adrenalin and engaging camaraderie, but the story feels clichéd and credibility-stretched once the one-take element is set aside. The livewire performance by Laia Costa is singled out. [Read](https://www.screendaily.com/victoria/5082905.article) - **Slant Magazine**, Chuck Bowen (40/100, inferred): The long-take conceit heightens tension initially but becomes a mechanical fetish that stretches scenes unnecessarily and devolves into redundant cacophony. Dramatic escalation and the protagonist's descent are singled out as effective before the gimmick overwhelms them. [Read](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/victoria/) - **Digital Spy**, Matthew Turner (5/5): The review calls the single-take thriller an exhilarating, visceral instant classic that mixes humor, romance, gripping tension, and emotion while showcasing Schipper as a major talent. [Read](https://www.digitalspy.com/movies/a788887/this-weeks-new-movie-releases-reviewed-victoria-black-mountain-poets/) - **Collider**, Phil Brown (B+): The critic highlights the impressive single-take execution as a cinematic miracle that heightens tension in the thriller elements and praises the strong chemistry between the leads. The first half is somewhat rambling but watchable, with the genre shift making the unbroken shot feel essential. [Read](https://collider.com/victoria-review-tiff-2015/) - **The Playlist**, Jessica Kiang (B+): The real one-take feat is visceral and dynamic, offering insight into group loyalty and the passage of time beyond mere technical bravado. It relies heavily on camerawork and performances to overcome screenplay bumps from its improvisational origins. [Read](https://theplaylist.net/berlin-review-the-140-minute-action-packed-one-shot-wonder-victoria-20150216/) - **Consequence** (80/100, inferred): The critic calls it pure cinema that captures the seductive joys of youth and Berlin nightlife through the unbroken take, praising the technical achievement and the way it builds dread and emotional connection. It notes that the film occasionally feels like a typical crime story in its later sections due to escalating bad decisions. [Read](https://consequence.net/2015/11/film-review-victoria/) - **Eye for Film**, Amber Wilkinson (80/100, inferred): The single-take approach, aided by improvisation, delivers fluid urgency and naturalism while keeping characters believable even in contrived situations. Strong camerawork, performances, and scoring make the thriller elements compelling and satisfying. [Read](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/victoria-2015-film-review-by-amber-wilkinson) - **The Skinny**, Ross McIndoe (4/5): The critic highlights the single continuous take's staggering logistical achievement and its success in capturing the spontaneity, euphoria, and sudden intensity of a night out in Berlin, calling the film an excellent piece of cinema. [Read](https://www.theskinny.co.uk/film/dvd-reviews/victoria) - **The Wrap** (75/100, inferred): The single-take drama is immersive and engrossing despite its protagonist's implausible naivete, functioning more as a study of time and fleeting connections than character insight. The critic praises the tense, thrilling crime sequences and the intense bond that develops between the leads. [Read](https://www.thewrap.com/victoria-review-laia-costa-frederick-lau-sebastian-schipper/) - **HeyUGuys**, Stefan Pape (70/100, inferred): The single-take technique creates an immersive, thrilling experience that draws viewers into the characters' night, with strong performances especially from Laia Costa. However, it may be elevating what is ultimately a fairly conventional thriller narrative. [Read](https://www.heyuguys.com/victoria-review/) - **Paste**, Tim Grierson (7.8): The review commends the audacious single-take technique for creating a unique, gripping experience that stands apart from other films and singles out Laia Costa's understated performance as supplying the film's heart. It notes some tonal awkwardness and tedium in the rambling first hour but finds the overall formal construction rewarding. [Read](https://www.pastemagazine.com/movies/victoria/victoria) ## Details - **Director:** Sebastian Schipper - **Director:** Sebastian Schipper - **Story:** Olivia Neergaard-Holm, Eike Frederik Schulz, Sebastian Schipper - **Cinematography:** Sturla Brandth Grøvlen - **Editor:** Olivia Neergaard-Holm - **Music:** Nils Frahm - **Production design:** Uli Friedrichs - **Costume design:** Stefanie Jauss - **Producer:** Anatol Nitschke, Jan Dressler, Catherine Baikousis - **Cast:** Laia Costa as Victoria; Frederick Lau as Sonne; Franz Rogowski as Boxer; Maximilian Mauff as Fuß; Burak Yiğit as Blinker; André Hennicke as Andi; Anna Lena Klenke as Young Mother; Philipp Kubitza as Young Father - **Runtime:** 2h 18m - **Certificate (MPA):** NR - **Release (the US):** 9 October 2015 - **Genres:** Crime, Thriller, Romance - **Box office:** $3 million - **Trailer:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sqeWbhO8rXY ## Where to watch in the US - The Roku Channel: add-on, hd - Amazon Prime Video: add-on - Apple TV: rent $3.99, hd - Apple TV: buy $7.99, sd *Checked 2026-09-17.* Also available in: AE, AR, AT, AU, BE, BG, BR, CL, CO, DE, DK, EE, ES, FI, FR, GB, HK, HR, HU, ID, IE, IL, IN, IT, JP, LT, MX, MY, NL, NO, NZ, PA, PH, RO, RS, SE, SG, TH, TR, UA, US, VN, ZA. Add `?region=XX` to this URL for another country. ## Awards - European Film Award for Best Actress 2015: European Film Award for Best Actress (nominated) - European Film Award for Best Director 2015: European Film Award for Best Director (nominated) - European Film Award for Best Film 2015: European Film Award for Best Film (nominated) - European Film Award – People's Choice Award for Best European Film 2015: European Film Award – People's Choice Award for Best European Film (nominated) ## If you liked this - *Russian Ark* (2002): One take through the Hermitage, three centuries in ninety-odd minutes, and no getaway car - *Before Sunrise* (1995), Fi1m 89: A stranger, a European city, one night, and nothing worse than a train to catch — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/before-sunrise.md) - *Run Lola Run* (1998), Fi1m 82: Berlin again, twenty minutes lived three times, with a great deal more cutting — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/run-lola-run.md) - *Good Time* (2017), Fi1m 82: One New York night of escalating bad decisions, shot as if the camera were sweating — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/good-time.md) - *Boiling Point* (2021): A single take in a London kitchen; the disasters are smaller and just as frightening — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/boiling-point.md) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/film/victoria