17/02/2006

The curtain is about to come down on the56th Berlinale with Requiem [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Hans-Christian Schmid
interview: Hans-Christian Schmid
interview: Sandra Hueller
film profile] by German director Hans-Christian Schmid. The film screens tonight in official competition and one can almost say that the best has been saved for last.

Based on a true story, the film is an intense journey into the mind of an epileptic girl, the victim of several exorcisms. A Catholic girl from a repressed background, Michaela (Sandra Hülle) finally has a glimpse of freedom when she leaves home to study in another town. However, her mental state worsens as soon as she stops taking her medication. Convinced she is possessed by demons, Michaela finds herself stuck between two unbearable choices: a psychiatric clinic or an exorcism.

"The film is primarily about understanding the situation Michaela is in", said Schmid. "My approach was clear and rational. I don't believe in demonic possession but, nevertheless, I took Michaela's experience very seriously. I tried to imagine a person who is afraid and suffering from psychosis, who sees things that are not there, someone who hallucinates." What is really striking about Requiem – besides Hüller's irreproachable performance – is Schmid's absolute control in filming a limited situation. The images follow the chaos, with the director using zooms and a hand-held camera during the most critical moments, and fixed shots for the more peaceful scenes. The final result is similar to a Dogma film, but while Dogma valued the anarchy of improvisation, Requiem is the fruit of intense preparation. Teaming up with cinematographer Bogumil Godfrejów – who had already worked on the director's previous feature, Distant Lights (Lichter) – Schmid worked carefully on the fake spontaneity in the sequences and succeeded in plunging the film into a sepia-stained atmosphere that resembles 1970s Polaroids.

A wonderful way to close the 56th Berlinale's official competition, Requiem was produced by 23/5 Filmproduktion GmbH, in co-production with SWR, Arte, WDR and BR, with the support from MFG Filmförderung Baden-Württemberg, Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg, FFA and BKM. Bavaria Film International is handling international sales.