Perfectly adorable

Best movie ever!

Story: It's very simple but honestly that is fine.

This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.

I find it hard to understand the positive reviews attributed this film. The themes religious fanaticism, paraphrases of Jesus' sufferings are interesting - as always. A movie with one camera position is daring, and requires... something else, which I'm afraid this film doesn't offer. It's film wasted on a story - perhaps as a play it would work much better. Roy Andersson knows this when he adds small diversities to each new position of his camera, but in this case there's no play with tension, no surprises. And yes, I do know of 'Via dolorosa' - there's no comedy there, and no one expects it here. The actors do well, although, they cannot save the story. From the first scene, one already knows how it will end, how it's gonna get there, and there are no surprises, except from the negative. If this was music, it would have no verses, no chorus... perhaps no sound - it's minimalism at its worst. I do enjoy the works of Dreyer, Bergman, Trier, and Andersson - not this - there's only religion linking Brüggemann with the other directors. Had I not been seated in the middle of an almost full theater, I would have walked out on this. This has to be my worst movie experience in... 20 years.

This movie will make your blood absolutely boil. If ever you needed proof that organized religion is a destructive, delusive, maniacal force that brings misery to people's lives, this movie is it.Almost anything I might say here about the movie would be something of a spoiler... You just need to see it, from the beginning, and let the story make its simple, compelling case.This movie is almost kind of a modern, real-life, thinking-man's CARRIE-- (the Stephen King story). It is sly, smooth, seamless, cool and compelling in tone and style.Filmically, this movie carries on in the recent tradition of German films like REQUIEM (2006, dir. Hans Christian Schmid) and PARADISE:FAITH (dir. Ulrich Seidl, 2012) which deeply question the value of Christian brainwash in modern society, especially a society like Germany's, with its devotion to science. Essentially, these three movies show how religion... makes people batshit crazy, and makes them do cruel, mindless, absurd things.If you're not foaming at the mouth by the end of this picture-- with indignant rage-- check your pulse. Some have blithely blathered that this movie is a religious tale of a girl's sainthood. That's SO not what this movie is saying; the director wanted to light a torch under your backside, pure 'n' simple.

I have to admit that the mere mention of words like Catholicism and Stations of the Cross, particularly in the same sentence, makes me want to turn heel and run in the opposite direction. As a catholic, I spent my early childhood at church every Sunday morning, praying up and down on my knees (hurting) on old wooden kneeling benches, hearing service in English (and Latin) all whilst staring at 14 paintings of…you guessed it… the Stations of the Cross, positioned equidistant from each other along both sides of the church. I was taught (*coughed* 'indoctrinated') by old school nuns in habits and remember making up the strangest sins to confess at confession (I failed to share Milo with my brother…a lot). And yet, one can't help but be drawn in by the form, technique and understated beauty of Dietrich Brüggemann's (MOVE, NEUN SZENEN) moving painting STATIONS OF THE CROSS. Powerfully constructed into 14 fixed angled long shots, 12 of which are static (meaning the camera stays in a single position), each shot is its own chef d'oeuvre. The setting within each frame along The Way from 'Jesus is Condemned to Death' to 'Jesus us Laid in the Tomb' exude pious restraint, allowing the actions and catechistical dialogue to convey Maria's (Lea van Acken) youthful conflictions regarding her love for God, her family's fundamentalist beliefs and its place in modern society.In the week leading up to her confirmation in the puritanical 'Society of St Paul', protagonist Maria finds herself increasingly anxious and examining as she tries to find a balance between living up to the mature expectations of her extremist faith, pressures emanating from home, and the ridicule she endures from classmates over her religion. She decides to follow the path Jesus took and give up her life for her three year old brother Johannes who has never spoken a word. As she traverses her Way, she 'Falls for the First Time' when she meets fellow school student Christian (Moritz Knapp) who invites her to attend his choir practice at a different congregation. Flattered by his attentions, Maria decides to withhold certain details from her controlling and virtuous mother (Franziska Weisz) who would be aghast over the singing of soul and gospel music that she believes contains 'Devil rhythms'. Becoming increasingly burdened by her wrongdoing, Maria confesses her transgression to her priest who relieves her of her venial sins, due to her innocent mind and unknowledgeable heart. Instilled with the dogma sin – confess - repent, Maria returns to her enlightened path, eschewing Christian's attempts at friendship and the use of 'Devil Rhythms' in her gym class (this particular scene is an entertaining relief in an otherwise austere and reflective film). I won't enlighten you on the rest of her journey in the hope that you engage yourself in this complex yet rewarding story. The film takes a realistic position in its observations of fundamentalist religion and the devastating affects it could have on innocent minds if left unguarded. Van Acken is compelling as Maria whilst Weisz is particularly thrilling in 'Jesus' Clothes are Taken Away' when Maria's doctor challenges her maternal competencies. STATIONS OF THE CROSS is a hidden gem worthy of much greater traction than what it will undoubtedly receive. An art-house film at its finest. You can catch more at my Twitter handle theSachaHall and The Hollywood News.

Not many films get rated 10 by me, this one did. Because on top of being a perfectly told story: acting, cinematography, plot and anything else I would wish to find in a film. It's also speaking cinema. The film speaks with camera movements - yes there are almost no camera movements and when they do come they're hardly noticeable, but when they do arrive they speak volumes. They tell us the story and how the director feels about it. With finesse and mastery of his media rarely found in modern cinema. I don't want to overlook the superb acting, mainly the two leads - Lea Van Acken with a gut wrenching performance as the innocent and deeply religious Maria. And Franziska Weisz as her horrible fanatic mother who remains nameless. All the others do their share without a single false note. Such masterpieces are the reason I go to cinema festivals, finding two within two days made this year's Jerusalem Film Festival a success as far as I'm concerned. Look this one out and watch it, I couldn't recommend it highly enough.