Film

Heidi

Name: Heidi
Genre: Adventure, Family, Drama
Released: 2015
Cast: Anuk Steffen, Bruno Ganz, Quirin Agrippi, Isabelle Ottmann, Katharina Schüttler

Other titles called Heidi: the 1937 film, the 1968 film.

Drama

A luminous 2015 Swiss film about an orphan girl uprooted from Alpine freedom to a rigid German mansion, where she becomes companion to a wealthy disabled child. It's thoughtfully paced, visually gorgeous, and genuinely moving without ever turning saccharine. For anyone who loves period drama with real heart, or who craves stories about children finding agency in impossible situations.

TMDb rating

3.6

Should you watch it?

Watch it if you want a warm, unhurried children's classic told with real mountain air, where a small girl's homesickness and a grandfather's gruff kindness matter more than plot mechanics.

Skip it if you need brisk storytelling, since much of this runs on quiet longing and gentle episodes that can feel slight to anyone past the age it's pitched at.

What it asks of you: Its runtime is a little under two hours of patient, sunlit scenes with long quiet stretches rather than escalating action; the emotional pull builds slowly.

Not sure? Find tonight's pick in a minute.

If you liked this

A Little Chaos2015

A period film about a woman finding her voice in a restrictive aristocratic world, with similar warmth and a heroine who refuses to be diminished by circumstance. Kate Winslet brings quiet intelligence to every scene.

But The romance subplot may feel obligatory if you're watching purely for the character study. It's gentler than you might expect from the premise.

The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas2008

Another European period film centred on a child's perspective during an unequal friendship, told with moral clarity and visual poetry. It trusts young viewers to understand nuance without spelling it out.

But It's emotionally heavy in ways Heidi never is. The subject matter is devastating and stays with you.

Anne with an E2017

A TV adaptation that dignifies its source material with lush cinematography and a heroine who talks her way into people's hearts. Same DNA as Heidi—pluck, longing, and the transformative power of being truly seen.

But Seven hours across a season is a commitment. The tone shifts between whimsy and real social injustice, which some find tonal.

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from Heidi

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

The Worst Witch1986

Both pit a free-spirited girl against institutional rigidity and discover that institutions, too, can change when someone refuses to be broken by them. Both trust the girl to be the agent of transformation.

A British TV film from the 1980s where a girl shipped off to boarding school gradually realizes her own worth in an alien institution. It's comedic where Heidi is tender, but the architecture is identical: exile, gradual acceptance, self-discovery.

But The special effects are dated and charming only if you embrace 80s British TV aesthetics. Some of the humour hasn't aged well. It's considerably lighter in tone than Heidi.

Pan2015

Another 2015 family film about a child thrust into an unfamiliar world, gorgeously shot and focused on imagination as resistance. Joe Wright's visuals are operatic without overwhelming the story.

But It prioritizes spectacle over narrative coherence. Some viewers find it frustratingly thin on character development.

The Tale of Despereaux2008

A visually stunning animated film about a small creature who bridges two isolated worlds through kindness and courage. Melancholy and hopeful in equal measure, with a similar fairy-tale sensibility.

But It's been overshadowed by more celebrated animated films. The pacing occasionally drags in the middle section.

A United Kingdom2016

A period film about an outsider navigating an inhospitable new world, grounded in real emotion and performed with quiet dignity. It has Heidi's gift for finding humanity in rigid systems.

But The historical drama takes precedence over character intimacy. Some scenes feel like they're hitting plot points rather than living through them.

The Little Prince2015

Another 2015 release that captures the longing for home and true connection. Animated, visually inventive, and unafraid of melancholy. It speaks to children and adults in different registers.

But The framing device can feel saccharine. The animation style won't appeal to everyone—some find it deliberately childish when they want sophistication.

Heartland2007

A Canadian series about children who find healing and belonging on a ranch. It shares Heidi's belief that landscape and love can mend isolation, with genuine warmth throughout.

But It's formulaic—each episode follows a fairly predictable structure. The production values are modest compared to prestige drama.

Pollyanna1960

A 1960 Disney film about an orphan girl who transforms a dreary household through persistent optimism and genuine connection. An ancestral text to Heidi's story, made with craft and sincerity.

But The optimism is relentless and can feel dated. Technicolor saturation and pacing belong to a different era of filmmaking.

The Wind That Shakes the Barley2006

Both understand homesickness not as sentiment but as a form of grief—a recognition that what we've left has changed us and cannot receive us back. Both treat this with absolute seriousness.

A Loach film about community, attachment to land, and the cost of displacement. It's an adult film using many of Heidi's emotional tools: landscape as character, the ache of separation, the impossibility of going home unchanged.

But It's a political drama about Irish independence, not a period adventure. Slower and harsher than anything in Heidi. Some find Loach's naturalism punishing rather than moving.