Like the sinisterly puritanical Exorcism Of Emily Rose, Requiem takes inspiration from the case of Anneliese Michel, a young German student who, following a series of exorcisms, died in 1976. Fortunately, director Hans-Christian Schmid has not, like his Hollywood equivalents, set out to fashion a deathly dull courtroom drama or to probe the imagined constraints of rational thought. Instead, Requiem plays like a detective story, concerning itself with the unique set of circumstances that contributed to the poor girl’s demise.
At 21, Anneliese (Hüller) leaves the home of her blindly devout Catholic parents – an ice-cold mother and a weak, though kind father – for teacher-training college. New friends on campus including sweetheart Stefan and roommate Hanna quickly notice the debilitating effects of Anneliese’s epilepsy. Sadly, fixated on religious martyrdom and weakened by anorexia she attributes her seizures to demonic agents, a view reinforced by a medievally minded young priest of her acquaintance. As her condition worsens, she simply convinces herself that she is suffering for a ‘higher power’.
These potentially heightened details are presented in drab visuals and stark lo-fi episodes, while stage actress Hüller’s tremendously measured performance grounds the film further. If anything, Schmid has erred on the side of caution, never relying on drama when a cut-away to an empty hallway will do.
Still, Requiem does solve its central mystery, carefully outlining how such events could have occurred in a modern, progressive Germany. And just to ensure the entire sorry episode can repeat itself, Anneliese Michel is still regarded by many as a saint.