Requiem (2006)
In 2005 Hollywood turned the real tragedy of a young woman's death into a supernatural thriller with the usual horror tropes. One year after The Exorcism of Emily Rose, a German film told the same story without the demons.
REQUIEM (2006) is based on the true case of Anneliese Michel, the Bavarian student who underwent 67 exorcism rites and starved to death in 1976.
Director Hans-Christian Schmid isn't interested in whether she was possessed. There are no special effects. No spinning heads. Just a devout girl leaving home for university, her epilepsy, her faith, and a family and a church that can't tell illness from evil until it's too late.
It stars a 27-year-old unknown named Sandra Hüller, in her first leading role. She won Best Actress at the Berlin Film Festival for it. Seventeen years later, she'd earn an Oscar nomination for Anatomy of a Fall.
About the Film
She claimed she was possessed. There was no way to know for sure.
- Directed By
- Hans-Christian Schmid
- Runtime
- 92 minutes
- Released
- March 2, 2006
- US Theatrical
- October 20, 2006
- Certification
- 12
- Country
- Germany
- Starring
- Sandra Hüller, Burghart Klaußner, Imogen Kogge, Anna Blomeier, Nicholas Reinke
More Credits
- Genres
- Drama
- Language
- German
- Origin
- DE
- Studios
- 23/5 Filmproduktion, SWR, WDR, BR, ARTE
- Written By
- Bernd Lange
- Produced By
- Hans-Christian Schmid, Ulrike Putz
- Cinematography
- Bogumił Godfrejów
- Also Starring
- Walter Schmidinger, Johann Adam Oest, Eva Löbau, Friederike Adolph, Jens Harzer
- Box Office
- $99,963
Where to Watch
No US streaming, rental, or purchase options listed right now.
Source: JustWatch
Physical Media
2006, X Edition / Warner Home Video (DVD, Region 2, Germany). Extras: an audio commentary with director Hans-Christian Schmid and Sandra Hüller, separate interviews with both, a making-of with text panels on the real history of exorcism, deleted scenes, and a photo gallery. The catch is that it's German-only, with no English subtitles.
For English speakers, the entry points are the 2007 US disc from Genius Products (IFC First Take) and the UK release from Soda Pictures. Both carry 5.1 audio and English subtitles, though they're comparatively bare, the UK adding just a text-based interview.
2023, Pandora Film. A newly remastered digital version (DVD and VOD) finally tidies up the image and ports over the interviews, the making-of, and the deleted scenes. This, too, is a German-market release.
DVDWarnerRegion 22006
Adam added 9/21/2026
She was amazing in Requiem. What a talent! Truly one of the best actors alive.
Sido Lee I honestly didn’t realize until just now that she was the one in Project Hail Mary. She was so good in that.
Anywhere But Hollywood Haven’t seen that movie. Looked like overrated Hollywood trash to me, just like The Martian.
Sido Lee She was the best part of it for sure.
Anywhere But Hollywood I can imagine. Did you watch Anatomie d’une chute and The Zone of Interest?
German version > American version. Never saw it but it HAD to be better, that movie was absolutely horrible, shit ending and no real plot.
Mattnew Dana My main issue with the American one is that it wasn’t about Emily/Anneliese. They made it about the lawyer, and, really, who cares?