The Girl down Loch Änzi

Twelve-year-old Laura lives in the Swiss hills on the family farm, surrounded by animals and nature. She is fascinated by a local legend about a maiden who is supposed to be held captive in the caves close to where she lives. But she wouldn’t dare go check out the story on her own, and this summer there are no other kids around. She whiles away the lonely days birdwatching, helping out on the farm and faithfully entrusting everything to her diary. This is  the only place she can express her loneliness, concerns about her weight, dreams and nightmares. Then a boy from the city comes to work on the farm. Will he be a new friend and take her to the famous cave where no one else dares to go? This sensitive, respectful film tells Laura’s story through significant details: the all-seeing eye of a horse, rutting turkeys and rubber boots in muddy puddles. All of these aspects of Laura’s life are cleverly intercut with fictional elements that are hardly distinguishable from what is real.