Rotten Tomatoes
Cancel Movies Tv shows FanStore News Showtimes

Stations of the Cross

Play trailer Poster for Stations of the Cross 2014 1h 47m Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
93% Tomatometer 28 Reviews 73% Popcornmeter 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.
Watch on Fandango at Home Buy Now

Where to Watch

Stations of the Cross

Stations of the Cross

What to Know

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.

Read Critics Reviews

Critics Reviews

View All (28) Critics Reviews
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 Full Review 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 Full Review 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 Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View All (35) audience reviews
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 Audience Member Very bleak film about religious extremism. Beautifully filmed, but I found it ultimately unsatisfying. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 02/10/23 Full Review Read all reviews
Stations of the Cross

My Rating

Read More Read Less POST RATING WRITE A REVIEW EDIT REVIEW

Cast & Crew

Lourdes 91% 69% Lourdes Watchlist TRAILER for Lourdes Ma 92% 50% Ma Watchlist Ida 95% 79% Ida Watchlist Apostasy 97% 86% Apostasy Watchlist Discover more movies and TV shows. View More

Movie Info

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
Leif Alexis, Fabian Maubach
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
Most Popular at Home Now