"Heidi" is a new German(-language) film that brings back Johanna Spyri's title character to the big screen, a little girl who discovers how much she loves live at the countryside/in the mountains. Unfortunately, her aunt(?) who took care of her after Heidi's mother's death is not exactly a great talent in terms of upbringing and literally sells her to a family in the city of Frankfurt, who are looking for a companion for her wheelchair-bound daughter. It certainly is a tough decision who's worse: Fräulein Rottenmeier or Dete? These two sure make Heidi suffer a lot. This movie here has quite a few big names in terms of German cinema: Schüttler, Haase, Mehmet, Lohmeyer are all well-known here and then of course there is Bruno Ganz, who is a big star abroad as well.
However, let's not forget the child actors. I thought the trio did a good job. They all showed that they have talent in terms of acting and that they were deserving to play major characters in such a big film. Nice choices by the casting directors. The story is good as well. I must say that the emotional moments could have needed better elaboration sometimes, like Öhi growing closer to Heidi or when Klara suddenly is able to walk at the end. Then again, this is all seen and displayed through the eyes of children and for them it's more about discovering something new than about feeling something. And it's certainly not that they were free of all emotion, just a case of "is good, but could have been great". There are also funny moments in there. More severe scenes like Peter beating the goats or destroying the wheelchair are mitigated by the "sharing cheese and ham" talk and the boy's guilty conscience.
The movie runs for roughly 105 minutes which is fairly long for a kids movie, but nothing that breaks records or anything. If your kids have the attention span, this film is certainly worth a watch. Maybe my lack of emotional response also has to do with me living in cities for my entire life. People who lived in the countryside or even in the mountains may respond even more positive to this film than I did. Of course, I still managed to enjoy the beautiful scenery and animals in here in the first and last chapters in the mountains. Good movie. Not among year-best for me, but I recommend it.
However, let's not forget the child actors. I thought the trio did a good job. They all showed that they have talent in terms of acting and that they were deserving to play major characters in such a big film. Nice choices by the casting directors. The story is good as well. I must say that the emotional moments could have needed better elaboration sometimes, like Öhi growing closer to Heidi or when Klara suddenly is able to walk at the end. Then again, this is all seen and displayed through the eyes of children and for them it's more about discovering something new than about feeling something. And it's certainly not that they were free of all emotion, just a case of "is good, but could have been great". There are also funny moments in there. More severe scenes like Peter beating the goats or destroying the wheelchair are mitigated by the "sharing cheese and ham" talk and the boy's guilty conscience.
The movie runs for roughly 105 minutes which is fairly long for a kids movie, but nothing that breaks records or anything. If your kids have the attention span, this film is certainly worth a watch. Maybe my lack of emotional response also has to do with me living in cities for my entire life. People who lived in the countryside or even in the mountains may respond even more positive to this film than I did. Of course, I still managed to enjoy the beautiful scenery and animals in here in the first and last chapters in the mountains. Good movie. Not among year-best for me, but I recommend it.