Heidi (2001)

Heidi lives a carefree life with her single mother, who runs a small guesthouse in a small Swiss village. During a thunderstorm, Heidi’s mother is killed in an accident. Since her father has also been dead for a long time, Heidi suddenly becomes an orphan. At first, she is able to stay with her friend Peter. Heidi is very sad about her mother’s death, but the thought that her mother is now a star in the sky comforts her. Heidi’s only relatives are her aunt Dete and her grandfather. Her aunt is granted custody, but she shows little interest in looking after a child. So she takes Heidi to her grandfather, who lives as a recluse on an alpine pasture. The grandfather, too, is initially unhappy about having a child live with him; he has isolated himself from everyone for too long. But Heidi’s lovable nature quickly softens the old man’s heart, and soon he cannot imagine life without her. Then Dete turns up again and takes Heidi with her to Berlin. Dete has a daughter of her own. Clara had been living at a boarding school, but was expelled because of her behavior. Dete hopes Clara’s behavior will improve with Heidi around. Dete herself has no time to look after Clara. She is a successful fashion designer and works constantly. Clara is not at all pleased about having to live with Heidi. She bullies Heidi whenever she can and even makes fun of her for talking to her dead mother in the sky. But then Clara apparently becomes somewhat kinder to Heidi after all. She advises Heidi to dye her hair blue. Wanting to make friends with Clara, Heidi agrees. But it is just a devious trick on Clara’s part. She floods the bathroom and claims that Heidi caused the mess while dyeing her hair. Heidi then runs away from Dete’s house. But without any money, the journey back to her grandfather proves very difficult. Besides, blue hair makes you stand out even in Berlin. Heidi finds help at an internet café. They let her use the computer for free, and she is able to contact Peter by email. He organizes a fundraiser online, and many children collect money so Heidi can travel back. However, Heidi is caught by the police and has to return to Dete and Clara. Thanks to her special charm, Heidi manages to resolve the tensions between Dete and Clara. Dete finally makes more time for her daughter. Heidi takes the opportunity, now that mother and daughter are finally close again, to return to her grandfather. The grandfather opens the small guesthouse together with Heidi. Dete and Clara are their first guests.