''Heidi'' is a 2015 Swiss family film directed by Alain Gsponer and based on the 1881 novel of the same name by

Johanna Spyri Johanna Louise Spyri (; ; 12 June 1827 – 7 July 1901) was a Swiss author of novels, notably children's stories, and is best known for her book ''Heidi''. Born in Hirzel, a rural area in the canton of Canton of Zürich, Zurich, Switzerland, ...

. It stars Anuk Steffen in the title role, alongside

Bruno Ganz Bruno Ganz (; 22 March 1941 – 16 February 2019) was a Swiss actor whose career in German stage, television and film productions spanned nearly 60 years. He was known for his collaborations with the directors Werner Herzog, Éric Rohmer, Franc ...

, Katharina Schüttler, Quirin Agrippi, Isabelle Ottmann and Anna Schinz.

Plot synopsis

After living for several years with her Aunt Dete (Anna Schinz), young orphan Heidi (Anuk Steffen) is brought to live in the

Swiss Alps The Alpine region of Switzerland, conventionally referred to as the Swiss Alps (german: Schweizer Alpen, french: Alpes suisses, it, Alpi svizzere, rm, Alps svizras), represents a major natural feature of the country and is, along with the Swiss ...

with her elderly grandfather, Alpöhi (Bruno Ganz). Despite being known as a fearsome recluse, he soon grows to love Heidi. She quickly befriends the

goatherd A goatherd or goatherder is a person who herds goats as a vocational activity. It is similar to a shepherd who herds sheep. Goatherds are most commonly found in regions where goat populations are significant; for instance, in Africa and South Asi ...

, Peter (Quirin Agrippi), a boy slightly older than her. For the next few years, Heidi grows up happily with her grandfather, although she wishes to attend school in the village with the other local children. One day, Aunt Dete unexpectedly returns and tricks Heidi into running away with her to

Frankfurt Frankfurt, officially Frankfurt am Main (; Hessian: , "Frank ford on the Main"), is the most populous city in the German state of Hesse. Its 791,000 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located on its na ...

(practically kidnapping her) to become a companion to a young girl from an upper-class family. The girl, Klara (Isabelle Ottmann), is unable to walk and uses a wheelchair; it is implied that she lost use of her legs after the death of her mother. Although her father loves her, he is often away on business and Klara is left with her strict

governess A governess is a largely obsolete term for a woman employed as a private tutor, who teaches and trains a child or children in their home. A governess often lives in the same residence as the children she is teaching. In contrast to a nanny, th ...

, Fräulein Rottenmeier (Katharina Schüttler). Heidi struggles to read and fit into polite society, but she forms a close bond with Klara. Klara's father returns and surprises Klara with a visit from her grandmother, who treats Heidi kindly and encourages her to learn how to read. Despite Heidi showing academic improvement, Klara's grandmother notices that the girl is unhappy in Frankfurt and informs her son. Klara's father initially ignores this as his daughter has been happy since Heidi's arrival. Soon, Heidi's homesickness manifests in

sleepwalking Sleepwalking, also known as somnambulism or noctambulism, is a phenomenon of combined sleep and wakefulness. It is classified as a sleep disorder belonging to the parasomnia family. It occurs during slow wave stage of sleep, in a state of low ...

around the house at night, scaring the house staff who had mistaken her for being a ghost. On the doctor's recommendation, Klara's father returns Heidi to her grandfather, upsetting Klara who feels that her only friend is abandoning her. Heidi and Alpöhi joyfully reunite in the Alps. The two quickly settle back into life with each other and Alpöhi allows Heidi to attend school, purchasing a winter residence within the village. Meanwhile, Heidi frequently writes to Klara, who regrets her angry reaction to Heidi leaving. Soon, Klara's grandmother allows her to visit Heidi in the mountains. The two friends happily reunite, inciting the jealousy of Peter who pushes Klara's wheelchair off a cliff. He is scolded by Alpöhi and is immediately remorseful of his actions. While playing with Heidi and Peter on the mountains, Klara slowly regains the use of her legs. When her father and grandmother appear to take her home, Klara reveals her ability to walk again. Her father weeps with joy and is grateful to Heidi and Alpöhi for taking good care of his daughter. Before Klara's grandmother leaves, she gifts Heidi with a notebook to encourage her dream of becoming a writer. Both families remain good friends and maintain contact with each other.

Cast

* as Heidi *

as Grandfather * Quirin Agrippi as Peter, Heidi's goatherd mountain friend * Isabelle Ottmann as Klara Sesemann, Heidi's upper class town friend * Katharina Schüttler as Fräulein Rottenmeier, Klara's governess *

Hannelore Hoger Hannelore Hoger (; born 20 August 1942) is a German actress and director. From 1958–1961 she studied acting at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater Hamburg. She has appeared in numerous German films, television programs, and stage production ...

as Grandmother Sesemann *

Maxim Mehmet Maxim Mehmet (born 2 July 1975) is a German film actor. He inherited his Turkish surname from his Crimean Tatar grandfather. He lived with his spouse in Berlin before he moved to Vienna.Peter Lohmeyer Peter Lohmeyer (born 22 January 1962 in Niedermarsberg) is a German actor. He has appeared in more than one hundred films since 1980. Life and career Lohmeyer is the youngest of three children of the Protestant pastor Dieter Lohmeyer and his wi ...

as Sebastian, the kind butler at Klara's house *

Jella Haase Jella Haase (born 27 October 1992) is a German actress. She began acting in theatre at a very early age. Her film credits include ', '' Fack ju Göhte'' and '' Combat Girls''. She has also appeared on the television shows ''Polizeiruf 110'' an ...

as Tinette, a maid at Klara's house * Rebecca Indermaur as Geissenpeterin * Peter Jecklin as the village priest * Monica Gubser as Peter's grandmother * Markus Hering as the doctor

Production

The ten year old Steffen was chosen from among five hundred young actresses. The film was shot on location in the Alps, mainly in the region of

Grisons The Grisons () or Graubünden,Names include: *german: (Kanton) Graubünden ; * Romansh: ** rm, label= Sursilvan, (Cantun) Grischun ** rm, label=Vallader, (Chantun) Grischun ** rm, label= Puter, (Chantun) Grischun ** rm, label=Surmiran, (Cant ...

, including Bergün and

Rheinwald The Rheinwald (from Latin ''Rheni vallis'' meaning "Rhine Valley"; Romansh: ''Valrain'') is a valley in the Canton of Grisons in Switzerland, the first section of the Hinterrhein valley. The river Hinterrhein flows through three valleys in the G ...

Release

The film debuted theatrically in Germany on 10 December 2015.

Reception

review aggregator A review aggregator is a system that collects reviews of products and services (such as films, books, video games, software, hardware, and cars). This system stores the reviews and uses them for purposes such as supporting a website where users ...

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang ...

, the film holds an approval rating of 100% based on 7 reviews, with an average rating of 7.5/10.

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Heidi 2015 films Heidi (2015 film) 2010s German-language films Swiss German-language films German children's films Swiss children's films Films set in the 1880s