Directed by Brea Grant
Written by Rachel Koller Croft
Starring Katey Sagal, Abby Quinn, Alexxis Lemire
Rated R
Runtime: 97 minutes
Available to watch digitally

by KL Martin, Staff Writer

Torn Hearts follows Leigh and Jordan, the eponymous up and coming country music duo who seek out their idol, Harper Dutch (Katey Segal) setting off a twisted series of horrors that force them to confront the limits they'd go for their dreams and stardom.

The film itself starts off with a raucous, pretty catchy song to a packed country western bar establishing many things very quickly. The relationship between the aforementioned Leigh and Jordan and the often unseen slimy underbelly of the music scene regardless of genre. Their manager, Richie Rawley Jones (Justin Leonard), scolds them after the song, for not playing a song he wanted them to play as he has brought some big name player to impress. We learn that Lee and Richie are dating much to the chagrin of Jordan. Though both women seem to want to mold their career the right way their actions throughout the film show their true colors, specifically Leigh. Those true colors being fame and fortune by any means necessary.

It was a slow burn to get to this point but a burn that was worth waiting for. The setting of Nashville and the music scene it gave birth to feels like a new, perfect setting for the horror genre to mine for untapped bloody, even gory potential. It reminded me of the fascination many filmmakers and screenwriters have with New Orleans. New Orleans is not necessarily a gigantic place but it is full of rich history and music that goes deep into the roots that make NOLA what it is. With hidden chunks of mystery both bad, good and indifferent that could be turned into something overall frightening and unhinged.

That said, I would not necessarily call Torn Hearts a horror but rather a psychological thriller with sparse horror elements that touches more on the country music industry in Nashville but doesn’t necessarily go deep enough in it’s story. It gives a surface understanding of what it’s like, musically, to be in Nashville but it really misses opportunities to really lean into the mythos that comes with the stardom that is making it in Nashville or country music in general. If written at full tilt, I felt like this could have been the country music equivalent of what Neon Demon was to the fashion industry. Maybe not that bloody….

Though I enjoyed the script I felt like it missed the mark and for a horror movie buff like myself, if you walk into a theater thinking this is horror, like HORROR, after you watch the film you’ll be a little disappointed. That said, the story is serviceable on its own but thanks to great performances from Alexxis Lemire and Abby Quinn, Leigh and Jordan respectively, it works. Alexxis’ performance in particular stands out as she makes an impressive turn from beautiful all American country girl with big dreams of stardom to something akin to a full fledge con woman and something even sinister, with remarkable ease. I wish they had dove a little deeper into that honestly. It felt like it was said in passing and not as important to the story as it actually was.

Katey Segal will always be my favorite TV actress. Whether live action or animated she is pure TV gold. She cannot miss. All that said, I always feel like an idiot when I’m surprised at how good she is on the silver screen. I grew up with her on TV, so I give myself a little bit of mercy but realistically she is fantastic in this film and really makes everything that she is in 100 times better as Harper Dutch. Even when she wasn’t doing a lot of talking, her presence made the scenes that were good at best with two wonderful actresses, even better yet.

Writer, Rachel Koller Croft did a great job with the script but I was a little disappointed that It didn’t go further. She clearly has an understanding of the music industry and in particular, Nashville. I sincerely hope that she goes back to this world eventually but goes much deeper, bloodier and darker. I feel like the last thirty minutes of the movie should’ve been the entirety of the movie from a bloody, horror, perspective. Those thirty minutes went full Tarantino and I loved it .

In combination with Brea Grant, who made an OK script better with pretty good direction, a clear understanding and comfort with material while putting her own spin on a few things, Torn Hearts while not a true horror film is a slow burn worth watching at least once