Who are you? Who are you surrounded by? What is your story? When we pass through our day-to-day lives we don’t put much thought into those that we come into contact. At times, it seems as though these people are bystanders in our own lives and that there is not much depth or substance to them other than occupying a bit of space in our own lives. In the film Victoria, audiences witness the evolution of a young woman’s contact with complete strangers.
It starts off as insignificant, at times their interaction seems uncomfortable, but it becomes engrossing. The audience takes on the role of voyeurs in the life of a young Spanish woman who is working in Germany and struggling to adjust to the new culture, language, and people. Victoria comes into contact with four young men in Berlin while leaving a nightclub who seem quite insignificant and are eager to impress her. She feels out of place and lost. She has come to Germany to get away from a life of non-existence in Spain where she devoted herself to the arts. She had no identity other than the piano. Getting away to Germany and away from her restrictive life would be her salvation, or so she thought.
Wanting to belong to something and have more of an experience in Berlin, she agrees to join them in order to “experience” the real Berlin that outsiders and transients do not. Upon becoming acquainted with this band of misfits, Victoria finds herself mixed up in a heist that these young men are compelled to carry out. As the audience rides along with the story, they become a part of it. There is nothing that they miss and nothing that is hidden from them. There is nothing that they experience that is different than the characters themselves. The film is shot as a single continuous take. It is seamless and quite consuming. The film itself is remarkable in the way it is shot as it makes audiences feel compelled to stay with the story as though they may miss something if they were to get up. The dialogue adds more realism to the story making the characters feel more relatable, despite moments when their attitudes, actions and statements are off-putting. The tone and realism of the film are good selling points, despite a very shallow storyline and problematic plot. If you are a fan of films like Amelie, and Run Lola Run, this film will have you talking and thinking about it well after leaving the theater.
3.5/5
