# Requiem (2006 film)
**Requiem** is a 2006 German drama film directed by Hans-Christian Schmid and written by [Bernd Lange](https://www.edgepedia.org/bernd-lange), starring [Sandra Hüller](https://www.edgepedia.org/sandra-huller) as Michaela Klingler, a devout Catholic student with epilepsy who comes to believe she is possessed and undergoes exorcism.[1](https://cineuropa.org/en/film/51717/) It was inspired by the true case of [Anneliese Michel](https://www.edgepedia.org/anneliese-michel), a young Bavarian woman who died in 1976 after a series of Catholic exorcism sessions, the same case that underlies the American film *The Exorcism of Emily Rose* (2005).[2](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2006/nov/17/worldcinema.drama) The film premiered in competition at the 2006 Berlin International Film Festival, where Hüller won the Silver Bear for Best Actress.[3](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0454931/awards/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Director and screenwriter | Hans-Christian Schmid; screenplay by Bernd Lange[1](https://cineuropa.org/en/film/51717/) |
| Source material | Inspired by the Anneliese Michel case, Klingenberg, Bavaria; Michel died in 1976 after exorcism sessions[2](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2006/nov/17/worldcinema.drama) • [4](https://outnow.ch/en/News/2006/03/25/Requiem-The-Interview-with-Hans-Christian-Schmid) |
| Lead performance | Sandra Hüller's feature film debut as Michaela Klingler; Silver Bear for Best Actress, Berlinale 2006[5](https://www.pandorafilm.de/filme/requiem.html) • [3](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0454931/awards/) |
| Other honors | FIPRESCI Prize (Berlin 2006); five Lolas at the Deutscher Filmpreis 2006, including Silver Lola for Outstanding Feature Film[3](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0454931/awards/) • [1](https://cineuropa.org/en/film/51717/) |
| Reception | Metascore 82 from 13 reviews; 86% on the Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer[6](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0454931/criticreviews/) • [7](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/10006856-requiem) |
| Box office | $280,701 worldwide, of which $9,600 was domestic through IFC Films[8](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt0454931/) |
| Runtime and release | About 92 minutes; German theatrical release 2 March 2006, in competition at the Berlinale from 17 February 2006[9](https://www.filmportal.de/en/movie/requiem_0ad3a2799d9050b8e04053d50b373b17) |
## Spoilers
### Plot and subject
The film is set in southern Germany in the 1970s. Michaela Klingler, a 21-year-old who has battled epilepsy for years, leaves her strictly Catholic parental home to study education at the [University of Tübingen](https://www.edgepedia.org/university-of-tubingen).[10](https://www.timeout.com/movies/requiem-1) • [5](https://www.pandorafilm.de/filme/requiem.html) Away from her cold, controlling mother Marianne (Imogen Kogge) and with the quiet support of her father Karl (Burghart Klaußner), she tastes independence, friendship with Hanna (Anna Blomeier), and a budding romance with fellow student Stefan (Nicholas Reinke).[11](https://chlotrudis.org/review/requiem/)
Under the pressure of study and family, her seizures return with new severity, accompanied by visions and voices that lead her to believe she is possessed by demons.[10](https://www.timeout.com/movies/requiem-1) • [9](https://www.filmportal.de/en/movie/requiem_0ad3a2799d9050b8e04053d50b373b17) One priest dismisses the idea of demonic possession, saying devils are figures of speech, but a younger priest entertains her belief and arranges an exorcism.[7](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/10006856-requiem) • [12](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2006/nov/19/thriller.worldcinema) A closing caption states that Michaela underwent several more exorcisms and died, weakened and exhausted.[13](https://misacor.org.au/movie-reviews/414-signis-reviews-2006/file)
## Relationship to the real case
The film draws on the case of Anneliese Michel, a young woman from Klingenberg in southern Germany who suffered from depression and an epileptic convulsant disorder, came to believe she was plagued by demons, refused medical help, and was subjected to exorcism sessions by Catholic priests with her parents' consent.[2](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2006/nov/17/worldcinema.drama) Michel died of malnutrition and dehydration in 1976, and her parents and the priests were later convicted of manslaughter.[2](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2006/nov/17/worldcinema.drama) • [20](https://content.time.com/time/subscriber/article/0,33009,918327,00.html) A contemporary review in *Contemporary Psychology* gives further figures: she was 23 years old, weighed 68 pounds shortly before her death, and underwent 67 exorcism rites.[14](https://portal.research.lu.se/en/publications/all-in-the-family-review-of-the-motion-picture-requiem/)
Director Hans-Christian Schmid has described the case as the film's main source of inspiration while stressing that the screenplay moved away from a case study toward a dramaturgically coherent story; the opening titles state that although *Requiem* is inspired by a true incident, the characters and their actions were freely imagined.[4](https://outnow.ch/en/News/2006/03/25/Requiem-The-Interview-with-Hans-Christian-Schmid) • [15](https://www.235film.de/Downloads/REQUIEM%20pressbook%20Bavaria%20FINAL.pdf) Schmid's interest began in 1997 with a *Spiegel* article about a pilgrimage to Klingenberg; early treatments centered on the deceased girl's boyfriend and were set aside until he joined forces with Bernd Lange, a Ludwigsburg Film Academy graduate already working on the story, in 2004.[4](https://outnow.ch/en/News/2006/03/25/Requiem-The-Interview-with-Hans-Christian-Schmid)
## Approach and comparison with The Exorcism of Emily Rose
Unlike the Hollywood courtroom drama *The Exorcism of Emily Rose*, built from the same case, *Requiem* omits the trial and concentrates on the everyday circumstances, family dynamics, and religious environment that led to the exorcisms.[6](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0454931/criticreviews/) • [1](https://cineuropa.org/en/film/51717/) Schmid deliberately rejects the conventions established by [William Friedkin](https://www.edgepedia.org/william-friedkin)'s *The Exorcist* (1973): there is no levitation or bile, there is only one exorcism sequence, and it takes place in daylight rather than at night.[13](https://misacor.org.au/movie-reviews/414-signis-reviews-2006/file) The Guardian's Peter Bradshaw singled out the film's juxtaposition of a lumbar puncture and the exorcism ritual as its central scene, a confrontation between medicine and ritual for control of the body.[2](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2006/nov/17/worldcinema.drama)
The screenplay keeps the cause of Michaela's condition open, leaving the possibility that her fits and visions may be signs of genuine possession rather than settling the question.[10](https://www.timeout.com/movies/requiem-1) Schmid told *Die Zeit* that he saw the material above all as a family story, the story of a young woman losing touch with reality, and that exorcism itself did not interest him as a topic.[16](https://www.zeit.de/2006/07/B-Interv_Schmid)
## Production
*Requiem* was produced by 23/5 Filmproduktion GmbH, a company Schmid founded in 2004, in co-production with SWR, ARTE, WDR, and BR.[15](https://www.235film.de/Downloads/REQUIEM%20pressbook%20Bavaria%20FINAL.pdf) • [5](https://www.pandorafilm.de/filme/requiem.html) Bogumil Godfrejow was the cinematographer, Hansjörg Weißbrich and Bernd Schlegel the editors, and Bettina Marx the costume designer.[1](https://cineuropa.org/en/film/51717/) The film was shot on 35 mm in Cinemascope with [Dolby Digital](https://www.edgepedia.org/dolby-digital) sound.[9](https://www.filmportal.de/en/movie/requiem_0ad3a2799d9050b8e04053d50b373b17)
After a German theatrical release on 2 March 2006 through X Verleih, the film reached theaters in Switzerland, Austria, the United Kingdom, Italy, France, and Belgium over the following months, with a United Kingdom release on 17 November 2006.[9](https://www.filmportal.de/en/movie/requiem_0ad3a2799d9050b8e04053d50b373b17) • [1](https://cineuropa.org/en/film/51717/) A digitally remastered version screened at the Berlinale's Perspektive Deutsches Kino in February 2023, and a new DVD from Pandora Film followed on 5 May 2023.[9](https://www.filmportal.de/en/movie/requiem_0ad3a2799d9050b8e04053d50b373b17) • [17](https://www.filmportal.de/node/78865/availability)
## Reception and awards
Critics received the film strongly. It scored 82 on Metacritic from 13 reviews, with a 100 from Salon's Andrew O'Hehir and a 90 from Variety, and holds an 86% Tomatometer on Rotten Tomatoes, whose critics consensus calls it "a harrowing, naturalistic drama" held together by Hüller's intense performance.[6](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0454931/criticreviews/) • [7](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/10006856-requiem) Reviewers frequently highlighted Hüller, a stage actress in her feature debut, with *Time Out* describing her portrayal of the confused epileptic as extraordinary.[10](https://www.timeout.com/movies/requiem-1) Commercially, the film grossed $280,701 worldwide, with 96.6% of its revenue international.[8](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt0454931/)
The film's awards included the Silver Bear for Best Actress for Hüller and the FIPRESCI Prize at the 2006 Berlinale, Best Film and Best Actress at the Sitges festival, the José Luis Guarner Critic's Award, Best Direction at the Chicago International Film Festival, and a Best Actress prize at the Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival.[3](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0454931/awards/) • [5](https://www.pandorafilm.de/filme/requiem.html) At the Deutscher Filmpreis 2006 it received a Silver Lola for Outstanding Feature Film (tied with *Knallhart*) and Lolas for Hüller's leading performance, Imogen Kogge's supporting performance, Bettina Marx's costume design, and sound design.[9](https://www.filmportal.de/en/movie/requiem_0ad3a2799d9050b8e04053d50b373b17) Hüller also won the Bavarian Film Award for Best Young Actress.[3](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0454931/awards/)
## Legacy
A 2022 scholarly analysis placed *Requiem* in the context of German cinema's handling of traditional Catholicism within a secularizing society, arguing that the film presents Michaela's religiously informed self-martyrdom as a search for meaning under an impossible double bind between traditionalism and modernity.[18](https://poj.peeters-leuven.be/content.php/secure/poj/secure/counter/secure/POJ/images/POJ/POJ/images/images/secure/POJ/secure/COUNTER/content.php?id=3290784&journal_code=ETS&url=article) Twenty years after her Berlin win for *Requiem*, Sandra Hüller received a second Silver Bear at the Berlin festival for the 2026 film *[Rose](https://www.edgepedia.org/rose-2026-film)*.[19](https://www.lemonde.fr/en/culture/article/2026/09/14/sandra-huller-takes-on-the-role-of-a-man-in-rose-to-gain-the-trust-of-villagers_6757484_30.html)
## References
1. [Requiem, Cineuropa](https://cineuropa.org/en/film/51717/)
2. [Requiem review, Peter Bradshaw, The Guardian (17 November 2006)](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2006/nov/17/worldcinema.drama)
3. [Requiem (2006) Awards, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0454931/awards/)
4. [Requiem: The Interview with Hans Christian Schmid, OutNow (25 March 2006)](https://outnow.ch/en/News/2006/03/25/Requiem-The-Interview-with-Hans-Christian-Schmid)
5. [Requiem, Pandora Film Verleih](https://www.pandorafilm.de/filme/requiem.html)
6. [Requiem Metacritic reviews, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0454931/criticreviews/)
7. [Requiem, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/10006856-requiem)
8. [Requiem (2006), Box Office Mojo](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt0454931/)
9. [Requiem, filmportal.de](https://www.filmportal.de/en/movie/requiem_0ad3a2799d9050b8e04053d50b373b17)
10. [Requiem review, Time Out (Nigel Floyd, 27 October 2006)](https://www.timeout.com/movies/requiem-1)
11. [Requiem review, Chlotrudis Society for Independent Film](https://chlotrudis.org/review/requiem/)
12. [Requiem review, Philip French, The Guardian (18 November 2006)](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2006/nov/19/thriller.worldcinema)
13. [SIGNIS film reviews 2006, Missionaries of the Sacred Heart](https://misacor.org.au/movie-reviews/414-signis-reviews-2006/file)
14. [Etzel Cardeña, "All in the family," Contemporary Psychology: APA Review of Book (2007), Lund University Research Portal](https://portal.research.lu.se/en/publications/all-in-the-family-review-of-the-motion-picture-requiem/)
15. [Requiem pressbook, 23/5 Filmproduktion / Bavaria Film International](https://www.235film.de/Downloads/REQUIEM%20pressbook%20Bavaria%20FINAL.pdf)
16. ["Exorzisten lauern überall," Die Zeit Nr. 7 (9 February 2006)](https://www.zeit.de/2006/07/B-Interv_Schmid)
17. [Requiem availability, filmportal.de](https://www.filmportal.de/node/78865/availability)
18. [Jamina Vesta Jugo, "The Lambs of the Berlinale," ET-Studies 13(1), 2022](https://poj.peeters-leuven.be/content.php/secure/poj/secure/counter/secure/POJ/images/POJ/POJ/images/images/secure/POJ/secure/COUNTER/content.php?id=3290784&journal_code=ETS&url=article)
19. [Sandra Hüller takes on the role of a man in 'Rose', Le Monde (2026)](https://www.lemonde.fr/en/culture/article/2026/09/14/sandra-huller-takes-on-the-role-of-a-man-in-rose-to-gain-the-trust-of-villagers_6757484_30.html)
20. [Religion: A Phenomenon of Fear](https://content.time.com/time/subscriber/article/0,33009,918327,00.html)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Individual films by title and year › Drama and biographical films (individual works) › Drama films 2000s › Biographical and historical drama films 2000s › Released 2006 to 2009*
*Initially written Oct 3, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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