Stations of the Cross

2014

1h 47m

Drama

List

93%

Tomatometer

28 Reviews

73%

Audience Score

2,500+ Ratings

Maria, a devout 14-year-old Roman Catholic, goes through all 14 stations of the cross to become a saint and go to heaven.

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Critics Consensus

A drama of thought-provoking depth as well as a showcase for newcomer Lea van Acken, Stations of the Cross hits hard and leaves a lingering impact.

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Jessica Kiang

The Playlist

While the film's craftsmanship and experimental form go some way toward mitigating the convenient plotting and confused point of view, wrapping the whole in craw-sticking sanctimony is a sin too far for forgiveness.

Rated: C

Jul 11, 2015

Full Review

Brian Tallerico

RogerEbert.com

In the end, the formalism of "Stations of the Cross" wouldn't work at all without the work of van Acken, a very talented young lady who's not only in every scene, she's often all there is to every scene.

Rated: 3/4

Jul 10, 2015

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Stephen Holden

New York Times

An austere, beautifully filmed and powerfully acted portrait of extreme religious fervor that slyly flirts with comedy.

Jul 9, 2015

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Matthew Turner

VODzilla.co

A strikingly directed and superbly acted drama that’s by turns disturbing and genuinely moving.

Rated: 8/10

May 11, 2022

Full Review

Michael J. Casey

Michael J. Cinema

A work of art striving to depict divinity. It almost reaches it.

Rated: 4/5

Oct 22, 2021

Full Review

Nicholas Bell

IONCINEMA.com

Newcomer Lea van Acken is quite the discovery here, and despite the rather detached impression given, she manages to transform the film into an emotionally effective property transcending its sense of parable.

Rated: 3/5

Oct 20, 2020

Full Review

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Audience Member

I can only watch the first two or three sections of this film because I found the subject matter so depressing. It's a very interesting idea for a film, though, and I may revisit it at some point. Meanwhile, I'd prefer to commemorate Easter this year with a more positive message.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

02/14/23

Full Review

dave s

Mirroring Christ's journey to his crucifixion, Stations of the Cross tells the story of Maria (Lea Van Acklen), a young teenager drawn into the life of strict Catholicism by her overzealous mother, a woman who sees danger in anything that does not conform to her narrow-minded belief system. Director Dietrich Bruggemann adopts an Ozu-like style, using only fourteen shots over the course of the film, all but two of them static for the duration of the scene. Thanks to an insightful script, subdued but effective acting, and remarkably well blocked shots, the movie is a powerful and damning indictment of the power and danger of blind faith.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

03/30/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Very few of the reviews came close to understanding the import of this film. Without reading what Dietrich Brüggemann and his sister Anna have to say about the film, it's impossible to work out whether the miraculous cure of the heroine's brother was written in to add a layer of spurious complexity and add a trompe l'œile impression of depth, or whether Anna and Dietrich fully understood their own script. I would opt for the former, but in that case, the film has overtaken its makers, and stands as a counter-cultural monument to a disintegrating Germany and Western Europe generally. Most critics, predictably, looked at the window and saw only their own reflection. And that, also, is the story of the modern West. This is a must-watch movie.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/12/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Minimal direction perfectly suited to this beautifully acted and scripted film.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

09/03/19

Full Review

richard i

Devastating study of fanaticism which does its best not to try to attack religious faith, but does end up taking out most of the fundamentals of Christian belief and seems to swipe quite hard at the nuclear family as well (though nothing is that unambiguous in this measured film), Some over-acting possibly because of the way it was shot and directed, but some inescapably poignant performances from the leads that may well induce feelings of sorrow and anger.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

03/30/23

Full Review

Serge L

Thought-provoking, okay, but depth, I'm less sure. Well made german film showing the abusive mother and idiot father pushing the poor little girl into hating herself for being normal. She deprives herself to fit the mold of the supposedly catholic christian. These germans, one century they go crazy about Hitler, the next it's something else. Still crazy. I do believe a young girl (or boy) could be manipulated like this though and end up in jeopardy. It probably still happens today. But in the film, it continues after the girl is rescued by a doctor. It would have been easy to tell her that not eating is a sin. There are priests that know this. So, it comes out as catholic-bashing to me. Not credible.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

05/13/17

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Dietrich Brüggemann

Director

Lucie Aron

Bernadette

Anna Brüggemann

Ärztin

Michael Kamp

Vater

Moritz Knapp

Christian

Birge Schade

Sportlehrerin

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91%

69%

Lourdes

TRAILER

for Lourdes

92%

50%

Ma

96%

79%

Ida

97%

86%

Apostasy

44%

49%

Mary Magdalene

TRAILER

for Mary Magdalene

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Synopsis

Maria, a devout 14-year-old Roman Catholic, goes through all 14 stations of the cross to become a saint and go to heaven.

Director: Dietrich Brüggemann
Producer: Jochen Laube
Screenwriter: Anna Brüggemann, Dietrich Brüggemann
Production Co: Arte, UFA Fiction, Zweites Deutsches Fernsehen
Genre: Drama
Original Language: German
Release Date (Streaming): Aug 4, 2016
Runtime: 1h 47m

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