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REQUIEM
Produced & Directed by: Hans-Christian Schmid.
Written by Bernd Lange.
Director of Photography: Bogumil Godfrejow.
Edited by Hansjörg Weissbrich & Bernd Schlegel.
Released by: IFC First Take.
Language: German with English subtitles.
Country of Origin: Germany. 89 min. Not Rated.
With: Sandra Hüller, Burghart Klaussner, Imogen Kogge, Anna Blomeier, Nicholas Reinke, Jens Harzer, Walter Schmidinger, & Friederike Adolph.

The inherent and unfortunate expectation in possession stories forces the audience to wait patiently for the moment when the demon reveals itself in the form of a haunted young female. The Exorcist (1973), the most acclaimed film of its type, relies heavily on sporadic satanic outbursts and constructs a narrative out of mythos and legend. Requiem takes an entirely different approach.

The first act is nearly void of any references to religion, while the disease that plagues Michaela (Sandra Huller) could be any number of illnesses. Her father encourages her to go to college after sitting out her last year of school, but her mother remains coldly against the idea, not wanting her eldest to do anything that would embarrass the family. Michaela’s repressive home life sparks an immediate adolescent search: she hunts out a best friend on the first day of class, dances a little harder than the other kids at the nightclub, and loves more passionately than does her new boyfriend.

Sandra Hüller, who in her feature-film debut won the Silver Bear for Best Actress at this year’s Berlin Film Festival, is impressive as the ailing college freshman who wants nothing more than a chance to claim her independence. Michaela ignores the signs that she is living out a fantasy and even finds ways to continue her studies as hand spasms prevent her from using a typewriter. When she is finally physically overwhelmed, the moment is played for a subtle sadness rather than spectacle.

Requiem is based on the same events as last year’s The Exorcism of Emily Rose, and while the latter places heavy emphasis on rationality, director Hans-Christian Schmid is hunting for something more literal. Michaela’s friends and family never question the fact she is possessed, and thanks to her painfully sympathetic struggle for contentment, neither do we. More thought provoking than frightening, the film ends abruptly during the third act and leaves us wondering if we could bear to watch what happens next. Michael Belkewitch
October 20, 2006