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Title: Requiem (2007) Starring: Sandra Hüller, Burghart Klaußner, Imogen Kogge, Anna Blomeier, and Nicholas Reinke Director: Hans-Christian Schmid Rating: Unrated Runtime: 89 minutes Avg. Score: 4 Submit Comment Hits: 10

Review of Requiem

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Comments for Requiem

• Posted on 2008-06-08
  A mixed bag
  
  "Requiem" is a drama, not a horror film. Both the illustration on the cover of the DVD and the price of the movie itself are misleading. This is not very frightening and does not warrant the amount of money one has to pay for it.
  
  That said, as a psychological drama of the most disturbing kind, it works well. Sandra Huller gives an amazing, understated performance as Michaela Klingler (aka Anneliese Michel), a German college student with a history of epilepsy and other psychological problems who makes a bid for fulfilling her potential by going away to college at the age of 21. Her family is ultra-Catholic (the director has lots of fun pointing his finger at this for her horrid fate, as any mainstream independent filmmaker must for the sake of political correctness), and her mother is a cold, repressed woman who generally disapproves of everything she does.
  
  Burghart Klaubner gives a touching performance as the girl's warm and supportive father, who only wants to see his daughter succeed rather than suffer. He covers for her when she has spontaneous fits or acts strangely for the sake of her overall happiness. He does everything he can to keep her from the snares of her mother's iron grip. Ultimately, however, all of this fails.
  
  Anna Blomeier plays Hanna Imhof, another college student who attended high school with Michaela. Another supportive figure, she slowly watches her friend descend into the worst kind of madness: refusal to eat, hallucinations (are they?) of demonic influeneces preventing her from prayer, etc. One might say she is the "secular hero".
  
  Both priests as portrayed, of course, as misguided and generally unhelpful, though the elder of the two tells Micheala appropriately to see a psychologist right away. Here the film becomes a bit confusing, as though Schmidt couldn't decide what he wanted to say, though it becomes more clear at the end: she is taking her medicine for epilepsy, but she is still not getting better. The slightest things cause her horrible anxiety and she is unable to touch a crucifix. In one one scene, when is attempting to pray, a rosary spontaneously falls from the table. What is that supposed to mean? Every scene suggests that she is mentally disturbed and nothing more up till then.
  
  This is difficult to watch and makes one reflect on the general cruelty of Anneliese Michel's fate, possessed or insane. We see different viewpoints from different characters, but in her last conversation with Hanna, the makers of the film seem to be implying that Anneliese was a girl who was narcissistic and disturbed, and wanted to "go out in style" (by starving herself to death, eating bugs, inflicting wounds, etc?) like
  the saint she idolized, who died a martyr. In other words, she wanted to die and life was too much on her, but she wanted to be special in a spiritual way. If I were one of the parents of Anneliese Michel I would find that very disrespectful. Though the director makes his case well I doubt that was the case.
  
  Also, the film just sort of ends without showing the exorcism or anythinf of the kind. I couldn't believe it. This is most certainly worth watching for the amalgam of possibilities it presents, but I would get it used and be aware that this is not a horror movie, but minimalist psychological drama.
  
  
  Score: 3
• Posted on 2008-01-18
  Not Sure What It Means
  
  I watched this movie on the IFC tv station.
  
  I didn't realize until reading some of the other reviews that this is the true story behind 'The Exorcism Of Emily Rose'.
  
  Emily Rose was much more frightening to be sure and completely different from this movie.
  
  In this movie it's hard to determine if this unfortunate young woman is even possessed or if she is only suffering from some sort of illness.
  
  Based on what they showed this case would not pass the strict rules that the Catholic Church has to determine if demonic possession has occurred.
  
  However I gave it four stars since you become endeared to this girl. It's set in Germany and you definitely get the feeling of a simpler place and time.
  
  It's a sad story because she has the same hopes and dreams that most people have but this issue with her mind interferes with everything. As it attacks her more and more she cannot function normally in society, make friends, continue with college, etc..
  
  As it is even when it's not attacking her you get the feeling that she is never quite normal at any time.
  
  The movie starts to take a sort of disturbing and unenjoyable turn towards the end as she becomes more and more disfunctional, sort of like someone with Alzheimer's disease or something like that. Just typing a school paper becomes almost a life and death type issue.
  
  The ending is sort of a let down and anti climatic.
  
  It's a sad story.
  
  Jeff Marzano
  
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  Score: 4
• Posted on 2008-01-03
  Germany's equally impressive answer to Emily Rose
  
  Requiem (Hans-Christian Schmid, 2006)
  
  The Exorcism of Emily Rose, Scott Derrickson's 2005 reimagining of Felicitas Goodman's nonfiction book on the Anneliese Michel possession case, is one of the best American horror films of the past decade, and arguably the best from a major studio. The source material, however, by virtue of the case itself, belongs to the Germans. It's no surprise that German director Hans-Christian Schmid (Crazy, It's a Jungle Out There) and first-time feature writer Bernd Lange crafted what can be seen as an answer to Emily Rose with Requiem, a decidedly different take on the Michel case, but one that is just as effective in its treatment.
  
  The story concerns Michaela Klingler (stage actress Sandra Huller, in only her second big-screen appearance), a college student on her way to becoming a teacher. Vague references are made early on to bad events that occurred in her past, but the first glimpse we get that something is amiss comes when we see what appears to be a minor seizure. We get more vague mentions of what happened in the past, and a lot of short scenes of Michaela taking her prescription anti-seizure medication. Michaela, it comes out, is convinced that she is being assaulted by evil spirits. Those around her have very different opinions as to the accuracy of her beliefs. The priest who serves her parish is convinced she has a mental problem, while the guy he replaced is intrigued with the idea that Michaela may be possessed. Her mother, deeply and conservatively religious, is of the opinion that the only "evil spirits" involved are those any college girl is exposed to when away from home. Her father just wants his daughter to get better, and doesn't care what the reasons are, as long as they can be fixed. Her best friend, the aggressively atheist Hanna (Anna Blomeier), thinks Michaela's religious upbringing is to blame. And the boyfriend-- who knows what he thinks? Everyone's keeping him in the dark.
  
  If it sounds like a farce, that is because, in part, it is-- albeit a deadly serious one. There were never any solid answers in the Anneliese Michel case, and Schmid and Derrickson take very differing approaches to their source material. In a sense, the two movies are of a piece, as The Exorcism of Emily Rose picks up almost precisely as Requiem ends-- with the exception of one half-hearted attempt at talking to the "demons", Requiem shows nothing of Michaela's final days. I say this not as a spoiler, but as a way of dissuading those who continue to refer to this as a horror film. It is nothing of the sort. This is a drama, or more accurately a character sketch; it's not about the exorcism, it's about Michaela Klingler (or, more accurately, Anneliese Michel). Without spoiling either movie, it's safe to say that both want you to take away a different idea of what actually happened in the case (and, interestingly, both takes on it are different than the conclusions reached in Goodman's book on the case, which makes experiencing all three interpretations in a relatively short period of time feel not in the least repetitious); either is plausible, depending on your beliefs.
  
  Differences or no, the strengths of both movies lie in the same place, and depend on the same thing-- their lead actress. Where Jennifer Carpenter's strength lay in the dramatic difference between Emily Rose the vivacious college student and Emily Rose the demon-possessed monster, Sandra Huller's lies in showing how we get from point A to point B. No matter what happened to the woman, what captures the viewer in this case is the sense of loss of self that Michaela Klingler suffers over the three or four months spanned by the film. That's why, both in this case and that of Emily Rose, what the director and screenwriter want you to believe about the Anneliese Michel case is ultimately irrelevant. What's important, what's compelling, is the universal themes raised-- the smothered child suddenly thrust into the big, wide world, and the anxiety issues that are bound to follow.
  
  What really happened to Anneliese Michel? We will never know; the only person who can tell us has been dead for over two decades. We, living in the twenty-first century, have been remarkably fortunate to have people speculating on that question who are capable of offering up such compelling thoughts on it. ****
  
  Score: 4
• Posted on 2007-12-09
  Solid film, shabby Amercian cover art
  
  This film is probably the closest to the truth any film maker will come to telling the story of Anneliese Michel, the girl that also "inspired" the more sensationalist production of Exorcism of Emily Rose.
  
  You're not going to find paranormal phenomena, gore and chilling hallucinations in this movie. Instead you'll see rock solid performances about a poor girl who had epilepsy and most likely dissociative personality disorder with psychotic episodes. Who's parents and town priests chose to treat her with a 10 month long excorcsim rather than continue further treatment attempts by psychiatrists.
  
  I'd like to point out that the cover art and advertising for this film is completely misleading, much to my surprise as the distributor is IFC Films. For decades now, American distributors choose to advertise foreign productions in a way where they appeal to the stupidest of all audiences. In this case, Requiem is sold as a hack horror flic that rides the success wave of "Emily Rose"...which it isn't at all. Shame on IFC.
  Score: 4
• Posted on 2007-04-18
  worthy performances
  
  i'm going to have to agree with the other reviewer by saying the dvd did not do this movie justice. they knew on the success of emily rose that if they made a scary looking cover it would sell more copies. so do not be fooled, but besides that, this movie is an excellent example of great movie-making. the cast is excellent in their roles especially sandra huller, she gives a chilling performance as a sick epileptic. there are many parallels with requiem and emily rose. if you are looking for a full-blown hollywood production see emily rose. if you are looking for a realistic look at a very intriging person, see requiem. both movies are excellent in my opinion and they both make interesting companions to the the annelise michael story. requiem is a true movie gem that should have gotten more promotion over here than it did! so promote it now and get it! you won't be disappointed!
  Score: 4