Stations of the Cross (film)

Stations of the Cross

Film poster
Directed by Dietrich Brüggemann
Written by Dietrich Brüggemann
Anna Brüggemann
Starring Lea van Acken
Release date
  • 9 February 2014 (2014-02-09) (Berlin)
  • 20 March 2014 (2014-03-20) (Germany)
Running time
 110 minutes[1]
Country Germany
Language German
Box office $1,505[2][3]

Stations of the Cross (German: Kreuzweg) is a 2014 German drama film directed by Dietrich Brüggemann. The film had its premiere in the competition section of the 64th Berlin International Film Festival,[4] where it won the Silver Bear for Best Script.[5]

Plot

Maria (Lea van Acken), is a 14-year-old Catholic girl in a religiously fanatic family who has dedicated her life to serving God. She is preparing with a group of young people for confirmation in a southern German town. Their church belongs to the Society of St Paul that rejects the more secular rulings of the Second Vatican Council, and holds to the Latin mass. Learning of the 14 Stations of the Cross that Jesus endured on his path to Golgotha, she thinks that this is what she also must go through in order to reach Heaven, and potentially cure her younger brother's autism.

Cast

Notes

The fictitious Society of St Paul is based on the Society of Saint Pius X, a traditional Catholic Church organization of which the German co-writer Anna Brüggemann, and her director brother Dietrich Brüggemann, had first hand experience.[6]

Reception

Reception for the film was mostly positive. Rotten Tomatoes gave the film 91% out of 23 votes, with an average rating of 7.4/10.[7] The critics consensus states that the film is "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."[7] On Metacritic, the film has a rating of 68 out of 100, from 11 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[8] Steven Greydanus of Decent Films gave the film an "A-" grade, saying "Stations of the Cross is among the most insightful and devastating cross-examinations of religious fundamentalism that I have ever seen, certainly in a Catholic context. The film is not so much an attack on faith or religion, but an examination of how faith goes wrong."[9]

References

  1. ↑ "Stations of the Cross (2014) (15)". British Board of Film Classification. 18 November 2014. Retrieved 17 June 2016.
  2. ↑ "Stations of the Cross (2014)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 11 January 2016.
  3. ↑ "Stations of the Cross (2014)". The Numbers. Nash Information Services, LLC. Retrieved 18 June 2016.
  4. ↑ "Berlinale 2014: Competition Complete". berlinale. Retrieved 19 January 2014.
  5. ↑ "Prizes of the International Jury". berlinale.de. Retrieved 16 February 2014.
  6. ↑ Kermode, Mark (30 November 2014). "Stations of the Cross review – austere story of a teenager driven to self-destruction by religion". The Guardian. Retrieved 9 December 2015.
  7. 1 2 "Stations of the Cross (2016)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango. Retrieved 17 June 2016.
  8. ↑ "Stations of the Cross Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 17 June 2016.
  9. ↑ Greydanus, Steven. "Decent Films". Decent Films. Steven Greydanus.
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