HEARTLAND (NETFLIX) (2026)

SYNOPSIS: Former country megastar, Misty Jones, comes out of seclusion to investigate the disappearance of her missing niece, a rising country musician, and must grapple with her own past and Nashville’s seedy underbelly. Her search uncovers a murky side of Nashville where no one, including Misty, is who they seem. 

MOVIE REVIEW:

Despite starring the always-reliable Jessica Chastain (Interstellar, Other Mommy), Heartland is an odd mix of country music and crime mystery that only a few viewers will appreciate.

Chastain plays Misty Jones, a former country singer with a chequered past. Having left her career behind, she now tends a pecan farm in Georgia. But when her brother asks her to help find his missing daughter, Charlie Heart (Carter Faith), an up-and-coming country singer, Misty reluctantly travels to Nashville to investigate.

At first, the setup is promising. Misty has a temper and knows her way around a gun; she’s clearly not someone to mess with. Nashville’s music scene is presented as murky and dangerous, with plenty of possible suspects: Charlie’s boyfriend, Jace Jacobs (Ross Lynch), a young country rocker; Jared Granger (JP Edwards), a stalker; Detective White (Norbert Leo Butz), whose motives seem questionable; and Charlie’s manager and record-label owner, Roy Combs (Garrett Hedlund). There’s plenty for Misty to investigate, and the film seems poised for a wild ride.

However, writer-director Shana Feste (Country Strong) struggles to make use of the characters and material she has assembled. For much of its runtime, Heartland falters as a crime mystery. Someone appears to be following Misty, perhaps trying to silence her, but it takes painfully long for anything exciting to happen. The film still finds time for at least three musical performances, giving Chastain a chance to show off her vocal range.

The story works better when it lets go of the mystery. Why not make this a comeback tale about a country legend? The ingredients are there, including Misty’s cheating husband, Carl (John Hawkes), whose pinky she chops off, and the revelation that Charlie is Misty and Carl’s biological daughter. Misty is such a colourful, tortured character that the film’s potential feels wasted on a half-baked missing-person plot.

Ultimately, Heartland never finds a way to blend its country music and crime story into a satisfying whole. The result is a muddled film that underuses Chastain and feels far longer than it should. 

MOVIE RATING:

Review by Linus Tee