Three years after the path breaking Otha Seruppu, auteur/experimenter R.Parthiban is back with his latest offering as a director, Iravin Nizhal. Slated for release on 15th July, Iravin Nizhal has been announced to be a ‘single shot film’. Correction, it’s been announced as a ‘non linear single shot film’, the first of its kind ever! While we can’t wait to actually watch the film next week, we’ve come up with a list of five other authentic ‘single shot films’ from around the world.

Some disclaimers here. A single shot film is typically one that has been entirely shot in a single take without cuts. We have curated this list by including only those films that strictly comply to this definition (to the best of our knowledge). Films like 1917 and Rope, popularly touted as single shot films, have been intentionally excluded. 1917 is one of my all time favourite war films, but it’s an open secret that the film actually had many hidden cuts, the most obvious one placed during the day/night transition scene at Ecoust. In the case of Rope, Alfred Hitchcock was limited by technology available in 1948. Each 35mm film roll available then only supported 10 minutes of recording. Because of this limitation, cuts were strategically placed to blend in to the screenplay and create an illusion of a single take film.

The five films we have picked (in no particular order) are:

1) Russian Ark

This 2002 Russian film set in the corridors of the Winter Palace in St.Petersburg was directed by Alexander Sokurov and was shot in a continuous 96 minute take. Over two thousand actors participated in this magnum opus effort. The director and cinematographer prepared rigorously for over four years before actually commencing shoot. There are reportedly no hidden edits in the film making it an authentic masterpiece.

2) Victoria

Victoria, a German film released in 2015, took the challenge to another level by successfully attempting a 138 minute single take film. Victoria is essentially a thriller and the plot revolves the botched attempt by a group of four people to rob a bank. Over the course of the 138 minutes, the screenplay traverses 22 locations in Berlin. The complexity of the logistics was managed to some extent as the crew decided to complete their shoot in the wee hours of the day (4:30 AM to 7 AM). Three different takes were attempted and the third was locked in for release. 

3) Fish & Cat

How will any list attempting to catalogue innovative filmmaking be complete without the mention of an Iranian film! Fish & Cat, a 2013 Iranian mystery drama directed by Shahram Mokri, was shot in a single take of 135 minutes. The film received high critical acclaim and the director has said that the visuals were inspired by the paintings of Maurits Escher. Fish & Cat also won the Special Award in the 2013 Venice Film Festival. 

4) Utoya: July 22

This 2018 Norwegian drama directed by Erik Poppe won critical acclaim for authentically documenting the events of the gruesome Utoya Summer Camp Massacre. Shot in a single take lasting 72 minutes, the script is inspired by real life accounts shared by over 40 survivors of the tragic event. It is reported that the cast and crew rehearsed for a full week before the film went on floors.

5) Rakhta Gulabi

The last film in the list is one from closer home. This 2021 Kannada film directed by Rabi Machinekad entered the Limca book of records/Asia book of records for its single shot achievement. Shot in a single take of about 128 minutes, the film received mixed reviews for the end product, but also a lot of praise for the ambition and production.