Mad Heidi is a throwback to exploitation films and made entirely independently. The film features a cast who appear to be primarily newcomers, with the big exception of Casper Van Dien. The film is clearly a labor of love of director Johannes Hartmann and crew. They’ve created a solid film that manages to be quite entertaining throughout.
The story takes place in a dystopian version of Switzerland that has fallen under the fascist rule of an evil cheese tyrant played by Van Dien. There, Heidi (Alice Lucy) lives a simple life with her Grandfather Alpöhi (David Schofield) in the Swiss Alps. She’s mostly content, but she soon finds herself in trouble with the dictator’s henchmen. Out of necessity, the innocent girl transforms herself into a force to be reckoned with, and she sets out to liberate the country from the insane, cheese-mongering fascists.
Lucy is quite fantastic in her performance. There is quite a bit going on early before she truly gets to become the lead. Her character starts in a love story that becomes a prison tale, morphing into a revenge story, and then finally transforming into a Rambo-esque saving of the city. Along the way, Heidi makes a series of allies and enemies that help paint this absurd tapestry. There is plenty of Swiss cheese on display, but one in particular that is most consuming of the plot adds a bit of horror to this wild film. The trailer promises a lot of bloodshed, and it delivers in the final act.
The movie, overall, looks pretty fantastic. The costumes, the special effects, and the weaponry are all very cool. Considering the claims of this being entirely crowdfunded, one wouldn’t tell by the overall look of this film. It features stylistic cinematography that truly adds flair to the presentation of the movie. While the villains of the film are fictional fascists, it revels in the taking down of fascism that feels specifically relevant right now.
Mad Heidi director Johannes Hartmann’s film came out of nowhere and will surprise many who decide to watch it. Hopefully, that surprise will be a positive one. However, it’s definitely not for the faint of heart. Before deciding if you want to see this particular film, be warned that it does live in the exploitation genre’s style. Essentially, this means that there will be a wealth of over-the-top violence and some nudity. Of course, that also means some of the performances will be over-the-top…but if you enjoy that sort of thing, then you’ll likely find much to enjoy here.
Mad Heidi is in theaters on June 21.
Rating: Not Quite Golden, Ponyboy.
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