Stations of the Cross

Maria is a young girl in a family entrenched in their church – an ultra-conservative version of Catholicism that adheres to pre-Vatican II doctrine. She finds solace in the idea that her younger brother’s muteness is a manifestation of God’s love. Shot as 14 single-angle, fixed-camera scenes (modeled after the actual “Stations”), STATIONS OF THE CROSS is a harrowing and sometimes endearing look at a young girl’s journey to self-sacrifice as she navigates through storms of school boy crushes, little white lies, and a less-than-saintly mother. It can be maddening to watch this young woman (played beautifully by Lea van Acken) succumb to the fear of such religious dogma. But the fixed-camera technique gives the audience an almost omniscient presence, and each scene’s emotional arc is so overwhelming it must mirror the emotional journey of those staunch believers as they watch the Almighty carry His own cross through throngs of the faithless. STATIONS OF THE CROSS isn’t humorless and it isn’t didactic; instead it’s a personification of unconditional love as executed by a young innocent looking to be closer to God. (In German with subtitles) – T.W.