VICTORIA [2015]

Director Sebastian Schipper pulls off the near impossible by crafting a breath-taking heist thriller, clocking in at over 2 hours and all in a single continuous take.
Victoria tells the tale of a few hours in a Spanish girl's night that takes a frightening turn when she runs into a pack of local Berlin guys from the wrong side of the tracks.
Unlike Birdman, there aren't any hidden edits or bizarre cuts along shadows, this is the real deal resulting in an entirely improvised script which forces some fascinating realism onto the characters.  Gimmicky as it first sounds, it overcomes all that with some wonderful performances, carefully planned dramatic sequences and an immense tension that builds ever so delicately.
Yes, it's a technical stunt that dazzles but most of all it's a dynamically told tale that unravels with such organic precision it begs repeat viewings to take it all in.

5 rooftops out of 5