Jessica Chastain Hunts for a Missing Country Star in Netflix's *Heartland*
Netflix's Heartland, a missing-person mystery set in the country-music world, is listed for release on Friday, Nov. 13. The film is rated R and runs 1 hour 53 minutes, according to The Hollywood Reporter. It is a Netflix original.
Shana Feste wrote and directed the film. Her 2010 feature Country Strong also centred on the Nashville music scene, and she returns to that world here.
Jessica Chastain plays Misty Jones, a former country superstar who has become a burnt-out recluse. She lives on a remote pecan farm in Georgia, far from the stage. The story turns when a relative goes missing, and Misty becomes an amateur detective, according to Variety.
That relative is Charlie, the daughter of Misty's brother Donny. Variety describes Charlie as a buzzy new talent on the Nashville scene, and she is a rising country star. Carter Faith plays Charlie, and the 22-year-old singer is making her film debut. Paul Sparks plays Donny.
Garrett Hedlund plays Roy Combs, a record label owner. Ross Lynch plays Jace Jacobs. Wynn Everett plays Kelly, Charlie's manager, and Norbert Leo Butz plays Detective White. Hill Harper and John Hawkes also appear in the cast.
Music sits at the centre of the project. Jennifer Nettles, frontwoman of the band Sugarland, plays a past friend of Misty's who has become a rival. Variety reports that the film includes an onstage duet between Nettles and Chastain. The movie also features an original country song score.
For Chastain, the role places her in a story about fame that has faded and a family pulled back into the spotlight. For Feste, it marks a return to the subject of her 2010 film. For Netflix, it is one more original title landing on a Friday, and the streamer has not announced a wider theatrical run.
The film is a useful reminder of how much work sits behind a title like this. A writer and director built the story, a casting team filled the roles, and a music team wrote the songs that Nashville-style characters need to sing. Each step was a decision made by people, long before a viewer pressed play.
