‘Heartland’ movie review: Jessica Chastain sings a song of suspense

Jessica Chastain is such a changeful actor! There is nothing of the guilt-ridden Ursula or the otherworldly entity from The Other Mommyin her portrayal of the retired country singer, Misty Jones, in Heartland. We first meet the abrasive, brusque Misty when she shoots out the windows of her neighbour’s house for killing one of her dogs (entirely justified). 

We soon learn that Misty was a legendary country singer who torpedoed her career for love and alcohol. There are missed concerts, tanked albums, and a run-in with her best friend, country singer, Winnie Jo Lean (Jennifer Nettles) that left the latter with a split lip. Add the failed marriage with fellow musician, Clark (John Hawkes), and Misty has no reason to stay in Nashville.

When her brother, Donny (Paul Sparks) tells her that his daughter, Charlie (Carter Faith), who is also a rising country music star, is missing, Misty reluctantly returns to Nashville. She meets her old friend, Buck (Ben Dickey) who introduces her to Roy Combs (Garrett Hedlund), a music promoter who was responsible for Charlie’s stratospheric rise.

The local police are not very helpful saying Charlie has run away six times that year alone, and that the police department wasted time and men to find a girl who was not lost.

Misty meets Charlie’s abusive boyfriend, Jace (Ross Lynch), who is unable to help and has clearly moved on. As Misty learns more about her niece, she fears Charlie is going down the same rabbit hole of destructive behaviour that was once her lot. On a chat show, Misty detonates a grenade by revealing her true relationship with Charlie. 

Suddenly media interest is focused on the missing Charlie. Some disturbing evidence points to foul play and suspicion falls on Charlie’s stalker, Jared Granger (J.P. Edwards). Director Shana Feste, who has also written the screenplay, uses the framework of a mystery to explore motherhood, ambition, guilt and love.

When a character says, “Mothers should be allowed to give up their children,” it makes a strong case for choice and circumstance. Chastain is the searing soul of Heartland with her haunting eyes and tightly coiled stance speaking of years of bearing the burden of guilt, anger, shame and love.

Chastain sings her songs in the movie and she sings sweet and true. Despite the rusty start, (a reference to the many years Misty has not sung), she erupts on stage. There is a special satisfaction in watching Misty take over the stage from the much younger Jace.

While the mystery is not particularly complicated, Heartland is not about a missing person. It is about a woman finding herself after being lost in the thorny thickets of recrimination and self-doubt. And who better than Chastain to bring Misty home, cowboy hat firmly clapped on her head. 

Heartland is currently streaming on Netflix