Kreuzweg (2014) Reviews

• Wonderful film about the dangers of religious extremism, especially when exposed to at the sensitive teenager age

  JvH482014-02-14

  I saw this film at the Berlinale 2014, as part of the official Competition. When reading the synopsis on the festival website, I was afraid at first that the chosen format of 14 scenes with a still camera, numbered and named as per the 14 Stations of the Cross, would effectively work out as a sort of harness. We've seen that many times before, when the format takes over and the contents suffers. Very soon, however, I was put at ease with the opening scene "1. Jesus condemned to death". I could not do anything further than eagerly await the rest of this wonderful film. This initial 10-minute scene foreshadows everything that is to follow. I can say that now in hindsight, since the full extent of whereto this drama is heading, will be gradually handed over in bits and pieces in later parts. The central character is 14 years old Maria, but her hard-lined mother is also a key figure in the drama as it enfolds in 14 distinct scenes. The role of the father figure is next to negligible (even the french au-pair had more lines than he had). Aforementioned first scene shows a priest with a group of 7 boys and girls, sitting around a table, talking about the essentials of what their further life will entail being a true Catholic. They are together in preparation for the sacrament of Confirmation, from which moment on they are expected to stand up for their faith, and to defend it against everything that deviates from the Ten Commandments and the Seven Sacraments, and to further uphold everything else advocated by the Catholic church before Vaticanum II (1962 to 1965). A very clear explanation is given about day-to-day practices, essentially resisting all temptations that are laid on your path by Satan. Another topic is bringing small sacrifices, like not eating a cookie, even when tempted while it seems so harmless. Other forbidden fruits are pop, jazz, soul and other such "modern" (not my words) music styles, allegedly all based on rhythms invented by Satan. Main character Maria belongs to a Catholic family of hardliners, members of the Congregation of St Pius XII, practicing the very traditionalistic teachings of this congregation. Aforementioned opening scene makes perfectly clear that Maria is very prepared to take her faith seriously, including the small sacrifices that may bring her nearer to a good place in heaven. In the second chapter, where the family is walking through a park, she considers her coat and sweater as a luxury and takes them off in spite of the cold weather. She also refuses to smile when family pictures are taken. More such things happen, but she does not explain herself. She succeeds in annoying their mother, and thus unwillingly destroys the happy family atmosphere. We see this mother later on as having a firm hand in the religious upbringing of the children, while the father lets it all pass without interfering. Apparently a side role but his importance becomes evident later on, is Maria's little brother who has not spoken a word since his birth. We get some hints that illnesses and handicaps can be "given" to us as a retribution for our sins, or to challenge the strength of our faith. Gradually Maria gets obsessed with the notion that she can trade her life for the benefit of her brother. She ignores everyone saying such a calling lies in the hand of God, and no one can decide that for himself. Each and every scene that follows further portrays the mutual relations within the family, as well as how Maria interacts with others like school mates. The gym class scene may serve as a perfect example. Maria retracts while there is music played she deems belonging to one of the "Satan invented" categories. That is what she tells to the teacher to explain why she does not participate. One of her class mates makes a joke out of it when he subsequently refuses to run in circles while "forbidden by my religion". Others are more constructive by bringing up the notion of tolerance against other beliefs, indeed a good point to make in such circumstances. Exactly like the opening scene, this gym class scene serves as solid proof that a still camera need not be an obstacle for a vivid scene. Not all chapters, however, go neatly along with their respective titles as literally derived from the 14 Stations of the Cross. A few times we feel an inherent shortcoming of the chosen format, being a very good find as a basic idea but the concept shows a few spurious cracks. Nevertheless, it did not hinder me too much, not feeling as a harness when considering the final product overall. Strong performances by Maria as well as her hard-lined mother make this film into an indictment against any too fundamentalistic belief, whether it regards Islam, a protestant denomination, or Catholicism. Tolerance is the key word here, as rightly brought up by one of Maria's class mates. It cannot be that a strict interpretation of religious laws, or the rules imposed by whatever church, are extended to others being no members of that faith. Believers must allow room for other opinions. Strict adherence laid upon outsiders is always a bad thing, regardless of the good intentions of these religious laws. It can lead to extreme actions, demonstrated by Maria in later chapters of this wonderful film. If anything, it offers food for thought (but no solution) how to deal with people who go to any length to impose their beliefs on others. They probably do that with the best of intentions, but the side effects are worrisome. Some people may find that this film has turned religion into a caricature, uncalled for, but I don't think so, especially when reading the newspapers where we read about religious extremism all over the world.

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• Fanatics are dangerous, but their victims may still be saints

  ayoreinf2014-07-14

  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.

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• It can be one sided

  kosmasp2014-06-19

  But it also can be seen as something completely different. The movie juggles both worlds and it actually succeeds in it. Also having found kid actors who fit the story and the way the movie is made is more than incredible. Obviously the religious tones might sound scary for some enlightening for others. What you make of it, will boil down to what you believe and what you see. While that is up to the viewer to decide and there are some clichés you have to go through to get to the finale, the movie does so in a special style. It's one set up per scene, which means the camera man seems to have the easiest job of his life. Set the camera, roll and let the actors do the rest. As you can imagine the scenes are a couple of minutes long, so not only did the actors have to learn their lines thoroughly, they also had to perform in one take! Not an easy task indeed. If the camera were ever to movie it would have a huge impact ... but does it and if so what is it telling us? You'll have to watch this very intriguing project and make your own mind up about things ...

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• So well done it's actually tough to watch

  Horst_In_Translation2015-04-07

  "Kreuzweg" is the newest movie by Dietrich Brüggemann and his sister Anna. The duo already collaborated on several successful projects in the past, such as "Drei Zimmer/Küche/Bad" and "Renn, wenn Du kannst". Anna Brüggemann is also a prolific actress and plays a part in this film here as well. The film, which is also known as "Stations of the Cross" was pretty successful at the Berlin Film Festival last year and achieved several other awards and prestigious nominations since then. The lead character is played quietly convincing by Lea von Acken. She has not acted in anything else so far, but if she decides to become a professional, she may have a good career ahead. You really feel for her and suffer with her. Movies about religious life are not too frequent these days, maybe because it's virtually impossible to never offend anyone, either the Christians or the atheists. So this one made for a nice change and let me tell you, it's very critical towards religion. There are several interesting aspects about it as well. Basically the main character's fate is linked to the one of Jesus Christ and we read a quote from the bible every time a new chapter begins. This quote fits nicely what is about to happen next. Also pay attention how every chapter has no moving camera at all. It's still in one place, so every chapter takes place at a certain location and does not switch places. Also, I believe there is no soundtrack here in this film. It's all about the interactions between the characters and their actions. No music. Just words. The most despicable person in the film is the girl's mother. Even after the death of the child, she still believes, everything is the way it should be and we know she is the one where her daughter got this sick approach to giving her life prematurely to God. Her father is just there, but does not say a word as the mother is clearly the head of the family, the only one with authority and nobody dares to contradict her. The most famous cast member may be Hanns Zischler, but he only has a small part as an undertaker at the end of the film. You may have seen him in Munich. The film's heart and soul may very well be the writing. The dialogs are top-notch from start to finish, the characters' words and actions are realistic. If there is anything, I did not like about the film, it is probably the fact that her brother really started talking at the end just like a miracle. But you can probably make a point that it was just because of the extreme situation everybody was in with Maria (fitting name) was dying at the same time, ironically triggered by a piece of altar bread. This is an excellent film, one of Germany's best in recent years and I still wonder why they submitted a piece of crap like "Geliebte Schwestern" to the Academy awards with films like "Kreuzweg" as possible alternatives. Highly recommended. It's roughly 100 minutes that are as tragic as interesting to watch.

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• Stunning Ingmar Bergman-esque contemporary cinema.

  Sergeant_Tibbs2015-02-27

  Stations of the Cross is one of a handful of films from 2014 that feel the deliberate touch of perfect artistic craftsmanship. Whiplash, Birdman, 10.000 Km and A Most Violent Year are probably the only others that come to mind. Here there isn't a hair out of place, a line too many, nor a beat skipped. Thusly, it all depends on how you connect to the material. I'm not religious and I rarely come across evangelists, but religion is always a fascinating topic for cinema as it reaches to the depths of humanity and metaphysical places we can't possibly understand, as Ingmar Bergman frequently explored in his films. Contemporary cinema has become so secular that we don't often see films that focus on religion so Stations of the Cross has a fresh slate when it comes to bringing the ideas and meanings of Catholicism to the 21st Century. The concept of the film centres on Maria's attempts to make sacrifices to appease God. She forgoes basic necessities like food and warmth from her jacket much to her also strictly religious mother's chagrin. It makes you think about the temptations and pleasures we take for granted everyday. What if you had to sacrifice them? Nobody would be in heaven if that was essential. But heaven isn't the goal - the film looks further. Maria is in pursuit of sainthood, and intends to save her baby brother. It brings up fascinating ideas of a guilty admittance of the ego influencing desires for sainthood that I'd never even considered. It brings the themes back down to earth in a deeply human and flawed way. It is a cold film in its approach, but it still has its endearing qualities. The film moves at a satisfying quaint pace and scale for the first hour, but then it takes the perfect fateful trail to its bitter end and it's equally devastating and thought-provoking. Is this religious fanaticism what God wants? It's an extreme example, but the film doesn't hold back on ideals. Lea van Acken is extraordinary, giving a vulnerable and mature performance far beyond her years as the 14 year old Maria. It's easy to marvel at her endurance for those long takes. But it's Franziska Weisz as her mother who constantly bites back that gives her the perfect board to bounce back from. With its stunning use of mise en scene and rich economy always feeling like it's ripe for cinema rather than the stage, Stations of the Cross is one of the year's essential films. 8/10

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