Stations of the Cross

For 14-year-old Maria, faith is everything. Her family belongs to the Society of St. Pius X, and they live according to traditional, orthodox Catholic principles. Focused on improving their religiosity and finding a perfect union with God, the family members imperceptibly lose their love for one another. Confused by various messages and postulates, they fall prey to fanaticism. While other girls Maria's age are dreaming about various gadgets and boys, Maria does not even allow herself to have friends. She dreams of holiness, which requires self-denial, suffering, and great sacrifices. The severity of the picture is suited to the severity of faith depicted on-screen: filmed in 14 long shots, the film reproduces the structure of the Stations of the Cross. The camera remains motionless as if suspended above the events taking place inside the frame. This clear, sterile form provides an opportunity for deep reflection. Stations of the Cross is a modern, critical hagiography. Despite its harsh views, it is certainly not an anti-religious film. It is an indictment of fanaticism and radicalism that leave no place for love-neither of God nor of man.