Hans-Christian Schmid's film is based on the same 1976 events that inspired The Exorcism of Emily Rose (VL-01/06), but it's vastly different from that big-budget Hollywood effort. Set in Germany, Requiem's focus is not on the court case revolving around a college girl subjected to an exorcism, but rather her earlier breakdown. Most importantly, the film downplays any supernatural component, implying that Michaela Klingler's (Sandra Hüller) malady stems not from demonic possession but epilepsy, compounded by deep but naïve religious beliefs, family pressures, and the strain of academic studies combined with efforts to fit in with university classmates. In fact, Requiem is barely an exorcism flick at all (the few scenes involving priests are unsettling only because of the emphasis on Michaela's emotional distress and the willingness of one of the clerics to attribute it to external forces). Requiem is basically a psychological portrait, a character study of mental disintegration bolstered by a strong performance from Hüller as the troubled student whose devotion to suffering saints leads to tragedy. Viewers searching for Exorcist-style chills will be disappointed, but the film's cerebral approach also has a potent impact. Recommended. (F. Swietek)
Requiem
IFC, 89 min., in German w/English subtitles, not rated, DVD: $24.95 Volume 22, Issue 4
Requiem
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