Stations of the Cross

This is a German film, and... I'm going to spoil that it's really good. This is Stations of the Cross.

A girl in an overly religious family is about to undergo Confirmation. However, as her mind is caught up in the Catholic fervor, she wants to sacrifice herself for her mute younger brother. And so we follow her as she goes through the Stations as Jesus did, before the final moment when her rather domineering mother faces up to this.

This story is told very well. Each of the 14 stations is presented as one long take, usually with a fixed camera, and that gives a nice sense of intimacy as it feels like you are part of the scene (as the camera isn't popping back and forth all over the place). This gives a chance for the actors to give a solid continuing performance, and so Lea van Acken gets to shine as the main person in nearly every scene.

This movie can seem understated with quiet moments as the shot lingers. But this works so well. Definitely should watch.

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