Requiem is an interesting drama piece based upon the true story of German girl Anneliese Michel, who was believed to have been possessed, she passed away after she had under gone a number of exorcisms and as a result suffered malnutrition and dehydration. This film is a fictionalised version of those events, changing the character names and so forth. It explores what could lead a person to believe that they are possessed and what role a mental illness plays in that. How much can one person handle? What affect do those around them have? Is there a possession? Requiem left quite the impression on me, and I have to give major credit to writer Bernd Lange and director Hans-Christian Schmid for taking this unique approach. While these themes were kind of explored in The Exorcism Of Emily Rose (also based on Anneliese Michel), it did not take that Hollywood route and add an unnecessary supernatural element. Requiem really steers clear of using that as a hook for the film, and presents the case in a very realistic fashion.
Our film takes place in countryside Germany in the 70’s, our main character is Michaela (Sandra Hüller), she is a quiet and awkward girl who suffers from epilepsy. She is a religious person, and we see her take a small pilgrimage of sorts. She has a very strained relationship with her parents (more so with her mother) and when she enrolls to attend college this causes more problems. Her father however has a change of heart and sets her up in a room in a sorority house. She becomes friends with Hanna (Anna Blomeier), a girl whom she used to attend high school with and forms a romantic relationship with Stefan (Nicholas Reinke). Things seem to be going well for Michaela, however her epilepsy is really taking a toll and her, and Hanna urges her to seek medical help. For a time she does, but it seems like her condition is just getting worse. She breaks down and goes off her medication completely, she starts to believe she is possessed and seeks the guidance of a willing priest.
First and foremost what really makes this film work and what really makes it stand out is the pitch perfect performance from its lead Sandra Hüller, in her first feature film. She is a revelation and I’d be hard pressed to name many other performances that even come close from the past 10 or so years to what she achieved. She embodies Michaela, she has a natural presence about her and we are with her throughout this journey. It is a heartbreaking performance, Michaela suffers through most of the film. As soon as something good starts to happen, it all comes crashing down. She feels the pressures from her family and also with school, and add into it the health issues she must deal with, something has got to give. When a character goes through so much hard ship, it is usually something not easy to watch. With this film it really does hurt and hit hard because we like Michaela, and we have gotten behind her as a character, and the effect on the audience is much greater. The other performances in the film are also very good, Burghart Klaußner as her father hits all the right notes as does Imogen Kogge as her mother. Anna Blomeier and Nicholas Reinke as the two friends who care for her also give strong and deep performances. Reinke in particular showed a heart breaking side when Michaela really gets bad and he has no choice but to take action. I was thoroughly impressed, it really had the right mix of talent.
The film has a very powerful script and fantastic direction by Schmid, it is really hard to find any faults. It is perfectly paced, and it gives just the right amount of development to get heavily invested. It looked stunning, and it captured what I’d imagine the 70’s to look and feel like in a German countryside. It felt natural, almost to the point that you could have mistaken this for a documentary. It is deeply emotional, and it really brings light to earlier days of mental illness and how it was handled. Should they have sought further treatment? Of course, but would it have been adequate because of what was available back then? At the same time it explores just how religion can affect a persons life, and how it is integrated in their every day living. It shows us what Michaela believed in, her ideals and how she felt she needed to handle what was happening to her. The film is an interesting take on these events, and just overall well made and engaging. This is a must see, and I encourage all my reads to please seek this out.
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