In this tense, gripping thriller a young Spanish woman named Victoria meets four young men as she is on her way home after enjoying Berlin’s vibrant nightlife. This chance encounter shifts gear as it becomes clear that these young men are in deep trouble and Victoria willingly gets entangled in their criminal activity.
A touch of melancholy clings to Victoria and she may well be even more ruthless than her young companions. On a deeper level the film exposes the instinct to take flight of a young female immigrant. Victoria was shot in one long take. The camera roams freely through the neighbourhoods of Berlin, to a rooftop, an underground garage, a disco, a hotel. The absence of interruptions enables the film to soar in intensity as the plot unfolds. Leading actress Laia Costa and her co-star Frederick Lau were both awarded a Lola, the German version of the Oscar, for their performances. The masterly camera work, clever mood-setting music, the direction and the film itself also received accolades.