Parents' Guide to

Torn Hearts

By Brian Costello, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 15+

Violence, language, drinking in country music thriller.

Movie NR 2022 97 minutes
Torn Hearts Movie Poster

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Community Reviews

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age 13+

Based on 1 parent review

GodisAmazing
GodisAmazing Parent of 10-year-old
January 18, 2023
age 13+
AMAZING! 10/10 would recommend, but there is 1 shrexy scene, a girl meets a guy in a bar and a few minutes later they go to his house and have shrex, this goes on for like less then a minute, foul language gore and violence but that's basically it! as long as you skip the shrex scene any age can watch it!

This title has:

Educational value
Too much violence
1 person found this helpful.
See all 1 parent review

What's the Story?

In TORN HEARTS, Jordan (Abby Quinn) and Leigh (Alexxis Lemire) are a country music duo struggling to find their big break in Nashville. After a show, their manager (and Leigh's older boyfriend) introduces them to Caleb, a country music superstar in attendance who's looking for an opening act for his summer tour. After several drinks, Jordan ends up going back to Caleb's place, and discovers that Caleb has a framed photograph of him with Harper Dutch (Katey Sagal), one half of the legendary country music duo The Dutchess Sisters. Harper is idolized by both Leigh and Jordan, but she became a recluse after the suicide of her sister Hope. Eager for the chance to meet Harper and get advice on how to succeed in the music business, Leigh presses Caleb to give her Harper's address. When she gets it, Leigh and Jordan drive out to Harper's isolated, crumbling mansion. Upon meeting Harper, it doesn't take long for them to discover that Harper has a hair-trigger temper and a drinking problem. As they start talking, they also start to join Harper in the drinking, and it isn't long before Leigh and Jordan are wrapped up in Harper's manipulative and divisive head games. They must confront the lengths they are willing to go to in order to find success in the music business, even if it means turning on each other, and worse.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say: (1):
Kids say: Not yet rated

This is a country music-centered thriller that's also a dark commentary on the music business and the lengths some are willing to go to for stardom and fame. Torn Hearts takes the classic "city folks go to the weird/haunted country house" horror story in an interesting direction. Instead of finding ghosts or ax-wielding maniacs, the two lead characters, a country music duo looking for their big break, seek out and find their childhood musical idol. While perhaps not as spot-on as the too-real band dynamics of, say, This Is Spinal Tap, the movie shows, through both psychological and outright horror violence, that playing in a band is the most creatively rewarding way to completely destroy a friendship.

As the reclusive alcoholic country music legend Harper Dutch, Katey Sagal owns the role and makes the most of it. For their parts, Abby Quinn and Alexxis Lemire do much more than keep up with Sagal. In a genre not exactly known for stellar (or even competent) acting or for women having roles that go very far beyond hooking up with their boyfriend before screaming their way into a bloody and untimely death, this movie is refreshing. It would be borderline camp without these deeper messages, but, overall, Torn Hearts is as thoughtful as it is creepy.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the roles of women in horror movies. How are women traditionally depicted in horror movies, and how does this movie contrast with those depictions?

  • What does the movie say about fame, ambition, and the ugly side of the music business?

  • How does the violence in this movie compare to that of other horror movies you've seen?

Movie Details

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