Requiem / 37 Uses of a Dead Sheep / Joy Division

I saw Requiem and 37 Uses... in the London Film Festival, and Joy Division last Monday, and this is what I thought of them.

Requiem is the story of Michaela (Sandra Huller), a devoutly Catholic girl from a small town. Michaela suffers from epilepsy, and her repressive family have used this as an excuse to keep her with them, but Michaela is determined to go to university, and gets her way. Initially she flourishes, making friends and even finding a boyfriend, Stefan. But when her epilepsy returns, Michaela fears that she is possessed by demons and turns to the church for help, with catastrophic results.

Requiem is The Exorcist without the green vomit; its a quietly powerful piece of filmmaking with superb performances from Huller as Michaela, and Burghart Klassner as her kindly but weak father. Michaela's dilemma is powerfully felt - the rational approach of her friends versus the pull of the church to which she has dedicated her existence. 7 stars

37 Uses Of A Dead Sheep refers to a conversation between director Ben Hopkins and one of the elders of the Pamir Kirghiz tribe. Now living in Turkey, in order to preserve their way of life they migrated from Russia to China to Afghanistan to Pakistan, fleeing persecution all the way. The film reconstructs their history and engages with them in the present, and is funny and clever and very enjoyable. 7 stars

Joy Division is an oddity (and has nothing to do with the band). It tells the story of Thomas (Ed Stoppard), a German teenager fleeing the Red Army's advance; unfortunately he is captured and taken behnd the Iron Curtain, where he is trained as a spy. Flashforward, and Thomas is posted to Swinging London, where he has to spy on someone, and find out something, though its never very clear what. He meets Yvonne (Michelle Gayle), who reawakens his suppressed passion for life, and faces a new dilemma.

The first time writer-director seems to have no idea what the Joy Division actually was, and seems to expect us to sympathise with the youthful Nazis. The war scenes are well-executed, though, but the rendition of Sixties London is like something from a kid's pop-up book, all bubble cars and Mary Quant. A film of two halves which sit together uneasily. 4 stars.