Quartile rating: 7/10 · 1 rating
Heidi, is an eight-year-old Swiss orphan who is given by her aunt to her mountain-dwelling grandfather. She is then stolen back by her aunt from her grandfather to live in the wealthy Sesemann household in Frankfurt, Germany as a companion to Klara, a sheltered, disabled girl in a wheelchair. Heidi is unhappy but makes the best of the situation, always longing for her grandfather.
This 2015 Swiss adaptation of the beloved Johanna Spyri classic is a handsomely mounted, faithful retelling that earns its strongest marks in cinematography — the Alpine landscapes are stunning and authentically rendered with sweeping vistas. The plot follows the well-known story closely, offering little deviation from prior adaptations, which keeps novelty low given how many screen versions exist. Acting is competent and warm across the board, with young Anuk Steffen delivering a charming Heidi, though few performances rise to exceptional. The ending is satisfying and emotionally resonant in the classic tradition but holds no real surprises. Its main distinction is the quality of its visual production values rather than any reinvention of the material.