Klingenberg, Germany, 1976. The film opens in a courtroom where two priests and the parents of Anneliese Michel stand accused of negligent homicide. Through visceral flashbacks and re-enacted audio recordings, the narrative pulls back to show Anneliese as a devout, intelligent young student with dreams of becoming a teacher.
When she begins suffering seizures and hearing voices, modern medicine fails to stabilize her. Her family, steeped in rigid, archaic Catholicism, rejects science and becomes convinced she is possessed by historical demons (Judas, Nero, Hitler). The film is a claustrophobic descent into domestic hell: 67 exorcism sessions over 10 months, where a sick girl is starved to death under the eyes of those meant to protect her. There are no supernatural "jump scares"; the horror is the reality of a human body deteriorating through blind faith.
