October 16: Requiem

Published on September 03, 2009 by IAM Screening Series

Requiem (2006)
October 16, 2009 at 7:00pm
Space 38|39 (38 W. 39th Street, 3rd Floor)
Trailer
 
"Quietly devastating and unbearably moving, this is a soul-searching classic."
- Nigel Floyd, Time Out New York
 
"Brisk, taut and confident...a rigorously urgent and compelling film."
- Kevin Thomas, LA Times
 
"A naturalistic and thrillingly powerful film...a character-driven, understated movie, concerned with the violence that dysfunctional families inflict on their children, and the battle between reason and faith...Not a devil in sight; but this might just be the most intelligent possession movie you'll ever see."
- David Mattin, BBC
 
"This quietly unnerving psychological study from German director Hans-Christian Schmid wields its ambiguity about religion and science like a double-edged blade."
- Jim Ridley, Village Voice
 
"A jittery, cleansing naturalism, all the better to root the uncanny in the surfaces of this world."
- Owen Gleiberman, Entertainment Weekly
 
It is the 1970s, and Michaela (Sandra Hüller) is about to break free from the small town in Southern Germany where she has grown up her whole life. Leaving behind the strictures of her Catholic home, she heads off for university.  But Michaela is subject to strange attacks and labeled an epileptic by puzzled doctors.  Now, among new college friends, she increasingly finds herself paralyzed by terrifying visions of devils.
 
Based on the true story of Anneliese Michel, a 23-year-old German college student who was believed to have been possessed by multiple demons (the story was also the basis for the American film The Exorcism of Emily Rose), the film has been promoted as a more truthful depiction of the real-life events.  Steering clear of special effects or dramatic music, it instead takes a documentary approach that focuses on Michaela’s struggle to lead a normal life on her own.
 
Stage actress Sandra Hüller gives a stunning emotional tour de force in her feature film debut, for which she received the Silver Bear award at the Berlin International Film Festival for best actress. The film garnered the FIPRESCI Prize for director Hans-Christian Schmid.
 
89 Minutes