REQUIEM

Year: 2005
USA: IFC First Take
UK: Soda Pictures
Cast: Sandra Huller, Burghart Klaussner, Imogen Kogge, Friederike Adolph, Anna Blomeier, Nicholas Reinke, Walter Schmidinger, Jens Harzer, Irene Kugler, Johann Adam Oest, Eva Loebau
Director: Hans-Christian Schmid
Country: Germany
Language: German (English subtitles)
USA & UK: 93 mins
UK Certificate: 12A contains moderate scenes of psychological distress and exorcism theme
USA Release Date: 27 October 2006 (Limited Release - Los Angeles)
USA Release Date: 20 October 2006 (Limited Release - New York)
UK Release Date: 17 November 2006 (Limited Release - London, West End)
(in German)
UK Distributor

Synopsis

REQUIEM tells the story of a young woman torn between family, faith and illness. The film is inspired by true events.

It is the1970's and Michaela (Sandra Huller), 21 has spent all her life in a small town in Southern Germany where she has grown up up in a deeply religious family, with a kind but weak father and a cold-hearted, distant mother. Despite her years-long battle with epilepsy, Michaela yearns to leave home and study at university. At first, everything seems to be going well - her first taste of freedom brings a romantic involvement with Stefan Weiser (Nicholas Reinke) and a rekindling of a friendship with Hanna Imhof (Anna Blomeier), who is from the same home town. But soon, the shell of family and faith within which she has felt so protected starts to crack. The result is a breakdown.

Not a normal epileptic attack, but a frightening onrush of grotesque faces and voices. Afraid of being sent back home to her family, Michaela seeks help from a priest who reinforces her conviction that she is possessed. Though Stefan and Hanna entreat her to seek psychiatric help, they are unable to break through the dense religious and moral ties binding Michaela to her family, and leave her to her fate..

After 23, CRAZY and DISTANT LIGHTS, director Hans-Christian Schmid once again turns a sharply observant yet understanding eye towards a fragile human being at sea in a world of moral ambiguity. Loosely based on true events, REQUIEM tells the story of a young woman torn between family, faith and illness. Stage actress Sandra Hueller gives a stunning emotional tour de force in her feature film debut.