Camino de la cruz

Religious dramas are pretty uncommon in movies these days. I am guessing this is on account of this being a highly contentious subject which is tricky to bring to the screen, while serious studies of the subject tend to only appeal to a small demographic. Not being religious myself, I was a bit wary when approaching this one and wasn't entirely convinced I was going to like it. So, it was a pleasant surprise for me when I discovered that Stations of the Cross was a very engrossing film indeed. The story follows a teenage girl from a fundamentalist Catholic family who simultaneously tries to meet the strict demands of her faith while dealing with her more human desires. The events occur during the highly intense period when she prepares for Confirmation.

Ultimately, this film warns of the destructive potential of organised religion, in particular religious extremism. In this instance the fundamentalists believe in old school Catholicism which disregards any forms of modernism. They espouse a view that popular music and social media are satanic and personal sacrifice is to be encouraged. The film opens with a scene where a priest teaches young teens that sometimes death is better than moral failure. When I watched this opening scene, it did educate me in matters pertaining to religious practise and belief, yet it also reminded me how absolutely none of it makes the slightest bit of sense to me. It is detailed and ingrained yet highly absurd and illogical to me.

The movie itself is divided into fourteen chapters, which seemingly tell of the various 'Stations of the Cross' that detailed Christ's path to crucifixion. These scenes are dealt with cinematically in a manner which is simultaneously extremely minimalistic yet very bold. They take the form of fourteen long single takes, with all but three featuring static camera shots from one angle. It is a very austere method, yet the form accentuates the content and never feels for its own sake at any point. The intensity of the drama is enhanced by these extended takes and the serious tone of the material amplified. By the very nature of this approach, this calls for strong acting and excellent acting is what we certainly get here. Lea van Acken puts in a beautiful performance as the highly sympathetic tragic central character of Maria; it is a very mature turn from a teenage girl and highly effecting. Franziska Weisz is the other significant presence as her fundamentalist mother; a frighteningly monstrous character whose blind intolerance drains the life and vitality of all that surrounds her.

All-in-all, this one definitely qualifies as a very powerful bit of cinema. It challenges yet engages, has interesting things to say and does so using a very bold presentation. Definitely one to take a chance on.

I went to movies yesterday at Cinehoyts La Reina and Kreuzweg was being played for SANFIC (Santiago Festival International de Cine) in Chile, so i bought a couple of tickets and watched it with a friend of mine.

I had never read or heard anything about this movie before, so i didn't have any good or bad expectation before getting into the cinema.

The movie shows us religious fanaticism as it's most absurd. It really reminded me part of my childhood, when i went until the age of 10 to a protestant school in Santiago de Chile, where teachers said that Iron Maiden was the most satanic rock band in the world or things like that, i remember they said once that even Elton John was a satanic artist xD. Well this film shows us some very similar situations, and maybe for someone who has never experienced it, might believe that this only happens in movies, but, i lived it and i know it, there is lots of this religious fanatics in many schools and families.

The movie is split in 14 chapters, and they tell us about Maria a teenage girl who is about to get her catholic confirmation. The church she is part of, is a church which refuses to be like modern churches, and it considers a sin everything related to modern music, television, social networks, parties, etc, etc... At the beginning of the movie, the priest advised Maria and other students that if they want to get the goodness from God they have to make some sacrifices. Maria got convinced that she had to make a sacrifice in order to get a miracle from god, but she took the advise a little bit too far.

One of the things that really got my attention from this movie, was that the camera isn't moving at all (it just moves a few times and it's almost not noticeable for the viewers).

I'd suggest you to watch it, but don't expect a very good movie, i rated it with 7 stars out of 10, i mean i liked it, but i'm not sure if i would watch it again soon.

'Stations of the Cross' tells the story of the life and death of a young, and very religious, girl, by analogy to the 14 eponymous icons of Jesus's death that are typically displayed in a Catholic chuch; the point is further made by framing the story as 14 scenes, each filmed with a static camera. At first, the movie seems boring, in part because of the lack of camera movement; but as we get to know the characters, it becomes an increasingly intense, and occasionally moving, experience. What is less clear is the exact purpose here: a denounciation of an austere Catholic sect, and a mother figure devoid of the capacity for love, are clear, but the idea that evil can lurk behind claims to be good is scarcely revolutionary, and the absence of any trace of humanity in the film's most monstrous figures is a weakness. In places it reminded me of 'Breaking the Waves', but without any of that film's playfulness.

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 ...

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