68
Metascore
11 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 90The Hollywood ReporterBoyd van HoeijThe Hollywood ReporterBoyd van HoeijNewcomer Van Acken is a phenomenal find and she’s never less than believably torn between doing the right thing and being her own person.
- 80The GuardianPeter BradshawThe GuardianPeter BradshawIt is all intensely controlled, although this is a drama that goes by the book, in all senses; there are no unabsorbed events to disorder the parable’s secular/religious alignment, and the Greeneian miracle it eventually conjures is arguably a little too pat. Yet it is also strangely moving.
- 75Slant MagazineClayton DillardSlant MagazineClayton DillardStations of the Cross acknowledges that putting theoretical behaviors and mindsets into practice can have unwieldy consequences if context and intent are wholly ignored.
- 75RogerEbert.comBrian TallericoRogerEbert.comBrian TallericoDespite that emotional distance, the film is carried by young actress Lea van Acken, forced to really emotionally deliver given the lack of camera tricks some actors use as a crutch.
- 70Village VoiceAlan ScherstuhlVillage VoiceAlan ScherstuhlThe ending's a touch too cute, but the best scenes here stand as potent, empathetic, well-observed broadsides against fundamentalism.
- 70VarietyJay WeissbergVarietyJay WeissbergThe fixed gaze of each “station” is an appropriate choice for illustrating unbending dogma, and helmer Brueggemann always makes interesting use of the frame.
- 67The A.V. ClubA.A. DowdThe A.V. ClubA.A. DowdFormally, Stations Of The Cross is a rigorous achievement; there’s a purity, cinematic if not spiritual, to the way Brüggemann carefully composes each static shot, as though they all really were paintings to be arranged in succession along a line of pews. It’s less successful on a dramatic level.
- 60EmpireEmpireLea van Acken is outstanding but Dietrich Brüggemann’s severe gaze invites voyeurism, not empathy. A stony, stifling if fascinating film.
- 60Time Out LondonTrevor JohnstonTime Out LondonTrevor JohnstonThe film showcases Lea Van Acken’s remarkable central performance and director Dietrich Brüggemann’s adept control of a deliberately rigorous aesthetic.
- 60The New York TimesStephen HoldenThe New York TimesStephen HoldenAs Maria crumples before our eyes, many will find Stations of the Cross heartbreaking and infuriating. Others may laugh out loud at her mother, a walking nightmare of pious, punishing rectitude.