Maria (Lea van Acken) is a 14-year-old girl in a family attached to a Traditionalist Catholic organization,[a] who has dedicated her life to serving God. Over the course of 14 long takes, each echoing and named after the Stations of the Cross which Jesus endured on his path to Golgotha, Maria attempts a path of self-inflicted religious ascesis in the hope that God will cure her younger brother of autism.
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]
Notes
^ The fictitious Society of St Paul is based on the Society of Saint Pius X. Co-writer Anna Brüggemann and director Dietrich Brüggemann had first-hand experience with that group.[6]
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