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11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Germany's equally impressive answer to Emily Rose, January 3, 2008
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. ****
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12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
worthy performances, April 17, 2007
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!
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8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Solid film, shabby Amercian cover art, December 9, 2007
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.
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