Kreuzweg

“Don’t you too want to live for God?“, asks Maria of her fellow pupil Christian. This fourteen-year-old’s family is part of the strict Catholic Priestly Society of St Paulus, which has taken upon itself to continue the Church’s 2000-year-old traditions. Every action is understood as a trial before God and Maria regularly attends confession to ask forgiveness for her sins; in this schoolgirl’s eyes, Satan is everywhere, constantly trying to entice and tempt her. Shortly before her confirmation, Maria has to decide between a worldly existence – or complete dedication to Jesus. Director Dietrich Brüggemann has set his story in fourteen fixed scenes, analogous to Jesus’ fourteen Stations of the Cross. The film captivates with its formal stringency and emotional impact.