The death of a Catholic woman in West Germany while undergoing the Catholic rite of exorcism in 1976 has inspired a second film within the past few months. Following the American "Exorcism of Emily Rose" in September comes "Requiem," a German film by Hans-Christian Schmid, whose estimable "Distant Light" lit up the Berlinale three years ago. While "Exorcism" focused on a murder-trial battle between the priest and a prosecutor, Schmid's film beautifully details the behavior, events and socio-religious pressures that lead to the decision to perform such an extreme ritual.

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