For many years the one shot or long take has fascinated filmmakers and film theorists because of its implications in cinema. It is a technique that has been used by many of the great filmmakers of all time including Alfred Hitchcock, Orson Welles and Andy Warhol. More recently it has been in implemented by Paul Thomas Anderson, Cristian Mungiu, Alfonso Cuaron, Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu and Alexander Sokurov. Each filmmaker has used the technique in different ways and in different styles. This year, Sebastian Schipper adds his name to the list of directors who have mastered the technique with his exhilarating new film "Victoria" starring Spanish actress Laia Costa.

The movie tells the story of a Spanish girl, Victoria, spending some time in Berlin. She meets a guy in a night club and joins his friends for fun. However, as their night out develops she finds herself in a dangerous situation as the four men owe someone a dangerous favor that requires repaying that evening.

The first aspect most will talk about when seeing this film is the fact that the movie is shot in one full take by the masterful cinematographer Sturla Brandth Grøvlen. However, it is important to note that this not the first time an achievement like this is done. Last year "Birdman" by Inarritu was made using the technique to create the allusion of a theatrical experience while Sokurov used it for "Russian Ark" to create a choreographed dance through Russian history.

Where "Victoria" differs is that while these aforementioned films are in contained spaces, Schipper's film is shot throughout Berlin. The movie starts in a nightclub and seamlessly shifts outside where Victoria then moves through the streets. She soon finds herself in a series of different locations including a store, a rooftop, driving a car, running though the city hiding from the police, a parking garage, various apartments and hotels. The scope of the movie is huge and the sheer quantity of extras and actors that were required for the film is incredible.

But the beauty of the one take is how Schipper and his DP manage to make the camera feel like another character in the movie. Not once does it feel intrusive and instead it creates a naturalism that gives the sense of realism. The camera constantly follows Victoria and it captures the characters' changing emotions and each of her movements. When she is running away, the camera chasing after her at the same speed. When they are drinking and partying in the club, there is a dizzying effect that emphasizes the claustrophic and crazy environment. It also produces a kinetic flow that adds tension and allows audiences to feel like that they are truly immersed in the journey at the same time as its characters.

One of the most impressive parts of the film that is worthy of note is when Victoria sits over a rooftop and the camera follows her actions as she sits there over the edge. The camera shows the bottom of the street and it perfectly creates the sense of vertigo.

It is also important to notice the wonder of the lighting as the movie begins in pure night and the audience is able to experience the sunrise in all its glory.

Schipper's creative mastery is also expressed in how he impeccably shifts his movie from a talky to an action thriller. The beginning of the film is filled with dialogue sequences that reveal details about the characters and their actions. Once they are sent to rob a bank the movie becomes heist film that is fraught with tremendous tension and energy. Filmmakers have become accustomed to fast cutting for action sequences and sometimes it is hard to even know what is going on in what some scholars call "chaos cinema." Schipper's film is a great argument for action filmmakers to try this technique and stop the frenetic cutting. In many ways the action sequences are more suspenseful than the frenzied Hollywood blockbusters that indulge in chaos cinema.

But a movie is not all technique and this movie like the aforementioned ones would not work without its actors. As a matter of fact it would be pure artifice and technique without a solid cast.

Actress Laia Costa is a wonder as Victoria as she throws herself into the character. She exudes innocence at the beginning of the film as well as naivety to the circumstance she is about to get into. Victoria is clearly having fun with these men but she constantly questions them. Costa giggles throughout the beginning of the film adding a nervous energy to her character. But as Victoria develops Costa gives in to her vulnerability especially in a scene where she plays the piano. In this scene Victoria reveals her lost dreams and Costa is entranced by the music of the Mephisto Waltz. As the piece notes Faust is dancing with the devil and Victoria does not know yet what she will get herself into.

However, unlike Faust, who is soon consumed by the devil, Victoria becomes the anchor in the film and the one who literally and figuratively drives the plot forward. Costa's transformation from giddy and drunk girl to contained, calculative and fierce is seamless as the movie goes forward.

Frederick Lau plays Sonne with vulnerability and decency. From the beginning his attraction to Victoria is apparent and as the two become entangled during the night, Lau gives off greater emotions. He goes from beginning a rambunctious young man to an incredibly expressive character.

The rest of the cast led by Franz Rogowski as Boxer and Burak Yigit as Blinker are also incredible and they add a level realism that makes the movie even more exciting.

"Victoria" is triumph on many levels and is definitely a movie that most will be talking about for years. Schipper, Costa and the rest of the team have created a movie for the ages that shows just how exhilarating a movie shot in one take can truly be.