MAD HEIDI Review: Mad, Cheesy Fun

Swissploitation made landfall in 2018 with a splashy crowdfunding campaign ripe with all the trimmings of grindhouse fanfare for the inspired action cheesefest, Mad Heidi. The evident success of the campaign has since brought the film to life with the efforts of Johannes Hartmann and Sandro Klopfstein at the helm, and rousing reception at festivals around the world and its current event screenings stateside.

At the forefront of it all is Alice Lucy in the title role for the story of an idyllic girl living the Swiss Alps. She lives with her grandfather, Alpöhi (David Schofield) who disproves of her loving relationship with Goat Peter (Kel Matsena) for reasons not revealed until just a little later as the film shows that he’s been trafficking illegal dairy products much to the chagrin of Switzerland’s fascistic regime led by President Meili (Casper Van Dien). When Kommandant Knorr (Max Rüdlinger) catches and publicly executes Goat Peter in front of Heidi for his so-called crimes, Heidi is hunted, captured with Alpöhi believed to be dead amid the calamity, and imprisoned by Meili’s government.

Forced to bear with being tortured by the guards her absuive hulking inmates alongside new friend Klara (Almar Sato), it’s not until a narrow, albeit momentous chance of escape brings Heidi to a mysterious remote cabin, housing weapons closely guarded by Switzerland’s luminous spiritual entity, Helvetia, and her two warrior nuns. Filled with rage, and with the help of Helvetia and her nuns, Heidi trains and transforms herself into a formidable fighting force, just in time to make an example out of Meili before he can enact an even more sinister plan by Swiss National Day.

That plan is made bare with the help of grotesque costume designs and make up fresh out of Troma, along with other body horror props to accomodate the film’s suited grindhouse look and aesthetic. Lucy more than looks the part in the lead role, opposite Van Dien who remains keen on characters fitted for independent projects, and clearly having some of the most fun he’s had playing any character. The same goes for Matsena as the only black casting choice in the story of Mad Heidi, donning Lederhosen and strutting down Swiss roads as women swoon in his direction.

There’s a small but important purpose for this that comes handy with respect to the story and the events that unfold in the first half, but it also plays handsomely for the film’s outlandish tone. You’ll also see a bevy of interesting characters as well as a few twists that add a little something to the growing universe in Mad Heidi, which teases a hopeful reunion in a sequel that could lend our anti-cheese heroine a noteworthy sidekick.

My only criticism is that I would have loved to see more stylish action, but the pieces put in place here make Mad Heidi are more than adequate that the film suffices from start to finish. Paired with shameless one-liners, a few scenes of nudity and some of the kind of overwrought and comical acting you’ll see this side of modern cinema, Mad Heidi is a proud Swiss grindouse revenge experiment in inspired filmmaking that pushes the envelope, then tops it with melted fondue and stabs it Swiss chocolate.

Visit the Mad Heidi official website for more information