Heartland blends country music and neo-noir thriller on Netflix
Jessica Chastain stars as a former country star hunting for her missing niece in Shana Feste's new film, which mixes musical performances with a vigilante mystery.
Heartland is now available on Netflix. The film stars Oscar winner Jessica Chastain as Misty Jones, a washed-up former country megastar turned vigilante detective. She returns to Nashville after 20 years of self-isolation on a Georgia farm when her 22-year-old niece, budding singer Charlie Heart, goes missing. Misty launches a private investigation after the law and Charlie's management team fail to act, confronting her troubled past and the dark secrets of the Nashville music scene.
Misty Jones is a thorny Nashville archetype, nicknamed 'The Queen of Mean'. She is an unlikable female lead with a strong dependency on alcohol. Her brother Donny Sparks, played by Paul Sparks, contacts her for help. The film introduces several suspects in Charlie's disappearance. They include a potential stalker, her smug ex-singer boyfriend Jace, played by Ross Lynch, and her mustachioed manager Roy Combs, played by Garrett Hedlund.
Creative team and musical elements
Heartland is written and directed by Shana Feste, who previously explored the country music scene in 2010’s Country Strong. The film is a neo-noir mystery thriller that integrates authentic country music performances with its investigative structure. Jessica Chastain's Misty Jones steals scenes with a live performance of 'Family Ties'. The movie features a second musical number, a duet with Jennifer Nettles, during the ongoing investigation. Other musical performances come from artists like Channing Wilson. The Bluebird Cafe, a Nashville institution linked to Taylor Swift's career, also appears in the film.
The supporting cast includes John Hawkes as Misty's former husband Clark, Norbert Leo Butz as Detective White, Ben Dickey as Buck, and Jennifer Nettles as Winnie Jo Lean. The film is produced by Peter Chernin.
Critical reception and themes
Early reviews describe Heartland as patchy and tonally uneven. The film is called more 'background music than a hit'. It is described as a confounding and implausible thriller that is hard to root for from its opening moments. Critics note a whiplash effect from its attempt to combine family drama, Nashville musical elements, and vigilante action thriller. One early review states the film hits the right notes with its music but not its mystery.
The film is framed as a country-music-branded feminist rebel story against a toxic masculine power structure. Roy Combs is described as a 'garden-variety man-in-power piece of sh*t' character. Misty operates as a Dirty Harry-type investigator with incredible shooting abilities, leading to a 'shoot-and-smash vigilante justice' premise. The plot is criticized for convenient exposition and eye-rolling shootouts. The climax is described as having heartwarming family moments. Garrett Hedlund is named MVP of Heartland by some observers.
Misty Jones confronts the harsh reality surrounding her niece's disappearance. She exposes dark secrets of the Nashville scene during her private investigation. The film closes on this confrontation, as Misty operates as a one-woman army in a narrative that feels sloppy and unearned to some critics. Netflix said: "Heartland is now available on Netflix."
