Torn Hearts (2022) Movie Explained: Hollywood horror was once replete with older women and now the subgenre of hag horror or “Hagsploitation” or “psycho-biddy” cinema is resurrecting during which a former actress or artist, now older and insane, torments those round her. Epitomized in movies like Whatever Happened to Baby Jane (1962), Dead Ringer (1964), Strait-Jacket (1964), and Hush… Hush, Sweet Charlotte (1964), hag horror transforms the glamorous grand dame into an antagonistic villain. In modern-day horror, the employment of “hagsploitation” is clear in Ti West’s slasher X (2022), and Ari Aster’s horror Hereditary (2018).
American actor-turned-director Brea Grant’s third feature film Torn Hearts brings the “hagsploitation” picture back onto the B-movie stage. The film can also be distinctive for its fusion of country music into the horror space and for benefiting from the familiar conventions of Gothic literature reminiscent of decaying mansions, madness, and doppelgangers/counterparts. Written by newcomer Rachel Koller Croft, Torn Hearts is a cautionary tale set in Nashville, Tennessee, the guts of country music, and follows the duo Leigh and Jordan who hunt down their idol, a grande dame, in a personal mansion and find yourself in a twisted cycle of horrors. They’re forced to confront the bounds they’d embark on to attain fame and stardom.
Torn Hearts is elevated by the wicked and twisted performance of Katey Sagal who’s tortured by her past. The film thematically examines the topic of affection and loss, the fear of abandonment, conniving ambition, the horrors of guilt, and searching for atonement for one’s sins. It also challenges the parable of unswerving sisterly bonds and the corrupting force of fame. This thriller/psychological horror also serves as a meta-narrative concerning the insensitive treatment of ladies by show business dominated by men.
This write-up attempts to supply a holistic understanding of the film together with its themes and motifs. MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD!!! Refrain from reading the article and reserve it for later should you haven’t watched the movie. Glad Reading!
Torn Hearts Plot Summary & Movie Synopsis:
PROLOGUE
Torn Hearts opens with a flashback sequence, a VHS recording from 1993, featuring sisters Hope Dutch (Alon McKlveen) and Harper Dutch (Sailor Larocque), the country duo popular by their stage name “The Duchess Sisters.” The televised interview, which was recorded right after the pair were named Best Latest Artists by the Country Music Association, shows the sisters at the height of their popularity, sporting bouffant wigs and sequin and fringe outfits paying homage to 90’s country fashion. Hope is the singer of the sibling duo, a fairly face with beauty and charm while Harper is the singer-songwriter, endowed with the creative brain to compose lyrics for his or her songs.
Within the interview, when Hope is asked whether she is planning for a solo album, Hope admits that Harper is the true artist and she or he couldn’t have achieved anything without her sister. Harper retorts by saying that they’re a great team and praises the voice of Hope. Hope credits the God-given gift and her long showers for her singing voice as she often tends to sing in her shower. When the interviewer asks them whether or not they get into fights, she confesses that they get into fights just like several other sisters as they’ve their share of disagreements and conflicts. But Hope considers their combo as a blessing, to have someone on this crazy journey who knows one another quite well. Harper agrees together with her sister and acknowledges, “nobody understands you want your sister.” While they mention their plans of being right on top within the country music, the scene shifts presumably to the Dutch manor, the residence of the sisters, where from behind a door, we hear a gunshot followed by blood seeping from under the door.
WHO ARE LEIGH AND JORDAN?
In the current, Torn Hearts takes place inside Nashville’s country music scene and we’re introduced to the talented duo Leigh Black House (Alexxis Lemire) and Jordan Wilder (Abby Quinn), the lead singer and songwriter, respectively, of rising Nashville band “Torn Hearts.” They’re greater than best friends and have been living and dealing together to get a giant break within the music industry. They’re performing their song “Love Me Anyway” in a nightclub while the band manager/Leigh’s older boyfriend with caddish tendencies Richie Raleigh Jones (Joshua Leonard) has invited famed pop-country singer Caleb Crawford (Shiloh Fernandez) to see the duo play. Richie is hoping that Caleb will want “Torn Hearts” for his upcoming summer tour’s opening act and they’ll have the highlight they’ve been craving for a very long time.
Leigh and Jordan, who imagine that they’ve what it takes to grow to be the superstars of country music, consider this a chance and angle toward convincing Caleb. While Leigh and Richie retire early, Jordan and Caleb strike up a conversation. When Caleb gets lots of attention from the patrons, Jordan asks Caleb whether he likes being famous. When he answered within the affirmative, Jordan mentions that fame is compelling and Leigh has at all times been the one with stars in her eyes while she just wants to jot down music for the remainder of her life. Jordan hooks up with him but later tells her that the label has opted for an “all-guys tour,” and Torn Hearts won’t be welcome.
When Jordan catches sight of a photograph of Caleb with the legendary country music star, Harper Dutch (Katey Sagal), one half of the singing duo who became a recluse following the tragic death of her sister Hope Dutch, she asks for the address of Harper as a consolation prize for the wasted evening. When Caleb enigmatically claims that Harper shouldn’t be as endearing as everyone thinks she is, Jordan ignores the warning and proceeds to take into consideration collaborating with Harper. Jordan talks Leigh into ditching a recording session arrange by Richie to approach her idol, to come back out of retirement, and in some way persuade her to record a song with them. Reluctant at meeting a stranger, Leigh thinks of asking the recommendation of Richie. But Jordan tells her that they’re on this together and says “high highs low lows”, using Leigh’s favorite Dutchess Sisters song to reassure her. Leigh agrees because the Dutch Sisters were her favorite artists and it was her lifelong dream to satisfy not less than certainly one of them.
WHAT DO LEIGH AND JORDAN FIND AT THE DUTCH MANOR?
Leigh and Jordan drive to seek out the Dutch manor with Dutchess Sisters’ favorite strawberry rhubarb pie without letting Richie know of their plans. They find the old and worn-out mansion sequestered at the top of an old dirt road behind a pink mailbox and a wrought-iron gate overgrown with weeds. They ring the old buzzer with enthusiasm and hope and Harper responds. They introduce themselves as contemporary country musicians attempting to make it on the planet of music. Jordan asks whether she shall be willing to provide them some advice from a girl who has seen all of it. They’re buzzed in. The gate swings open, locking with a loud click behind them.
They enter the mansion and discover a mannequin wearing Hope Dutch’s tour outfit from their first live album. Soon after, Harper Dutch makes her appearance downstairs and the duo tries to impress her by complimenting her music and her outfit. They provide the pie they dropped at Harper, but she mentions that strawberry rhubarb was Hope’s favorite. Harper asks the pair which certainly one of them is a greater musician and the duo responds that they’re partners and equals. Leigh and Jordan share the motive for his or her visit. Harper asks a series of inquiries to the pair to get to know them. Harper takes notice that Leigh is the singer and observes how she mixes her drink together with her little finger. Harper finds similarities between Leigh and Hope and identifies herself with Jordan.
WHAT MADE HARPER SMASH HER GUITAR?
Harper expresses her wish to listen to them sing and takes them to her private music room where all her prized instruments are kept. She asks them to select their poison. Jordan picks up the guitar from the ’93 tour and starts to tune it. Leigh goes to the touch the microphone but Harper reprimands her. When Jordan mentions that she sang rather a lot within the shower when she was a teen, Harper is more intrigued. When Jordan was about to sing an original song, Leigh objects and opts for The Duchess Sisters’ song “Highs and Lows.” Harper stops them midway and agrees to record a song with them. Harper takes her guitar back from Jordan and smashes it repeatedly on the table to have a good time the deal.
When Leigh steps out to take a call from Richie, Harper tries to show Jordan against Leigh. Harper tells Jordan that girls like them must work harder to make it and publicizes that “it’s tough being the opposite one.” Harper is attempting to create a rivalry between the 2 friends when she says that Leigh is the one upfront and Jordan is the one within the back doing the entire work. When Jordan says that they each work hard, Harper expresses her dissent. When Harper tries to kill a small critter, she cuts Jordan’s finger. Jordan is spooked by the strange and unsettling behavior of Harper.
HOW DID LEIGH AND JORDAN MEET?
Leigh narrates the story of how the band got here together two years ago on the famed Bluebird Cafe. Once they were waiting around to get onstage, Jordan was called up because the last act of the day. Leigh began crying and a sympathetic Jordan invited Leigh up together with her. It surprised Harper that Jordan shared her coveted slot with a stranger. Harper starts praising Leigh by saying that she has something extraordinary and calls her “a star.” The conversation turns towards Leigh’s boyfriend and Harper learns from Jordan that Richie is Leigh’s boyfriend, whom Harper had called a prick earlier. Again, Harper finds Leigh rather a lot much like Hope as Hope too had lots of older boyfriends and so they were controlled by a bunch of men who treated them like workhorses.
Harper expresses her sadness over the lack of her sister saying that she tried to assist her. She also mentions that she is punishing herself each day since her demise. When Leigh asks her not in charge for Hope committing suicide, Harper tells her that Hope took her life in front of her. They lighten the mood by playing cards, singing songs, and dancing in a booze-fueled mood. Harper watches the duo closely and studies them, planning something viciously.
WHAT DID JORDAN SEE THROUGH THE KEYHOLE?
Jordan wakes up the following morning to seek out herself in bed together with her clothes miraculously modified by someone. She doesn’t remember how she ended up in bed. She searches the rundown mansion for Leigh but finds Harper talking to someone in a room through the keyhole. Harper was talking about Leigh and the way she stirred the drink and licked her finger identical to Hope. Jordan finds it odd and concludes that she was talking to her dead sister Hope. Leigh finds Jordan and she or he can also be wearing similar tour shirts and pants.
Sensing the strange and suspicious behavior of Harper, Jordan proposes that she and Leigh leave, but Leigh insists on staying. Harper asks them to make breakfast for her as a note of gratitude but there have been limited options because the groceries have gotten stale and rotten. Again, Harper throws a tantrum over breakfast by flinging the plate on the wall over the duo’s heads. Harper apologizes to Jordan when she starts to depart and continues to hold the promise of recording a song together with her and compels them to remain.
WHAT DID JORDAN FIND IN THE SECRET ROOM?
Harden gets Jordan and Leigh drunk again. Harper continues to make use of mind games to deepen the rift between the 2 friends by exploiting their various opinions about Leigh’s relationship with their manager Richie. Harper then gives one other shot to impress her and convinces the pair to vent their frustrations by violently fighting one another. While Leigh accuses Jordan of lacking a vision for the band in addition to considering of herself as higher than Leigh, Jordan insists that she cares concerning the band in addition to their future. We see the long-time friends, at least sisters wrestle and hit one another until Jorden is overpowered by Leigh.
Richie shows up on the mansion hastily searching for Jordan and Leigh. Harper locks Jordan within the basement as Jordan doesn’t like Richie. Harper and Leigh go upstairs to seek advice from Richie. Leigh tells Harper that what happened within the basement couldn’t be farther from the reality and so they are like sisters. Speaking from her own experience, Harper says that sisters can get heated up over the littlest of things. Harper confronts her about their fortuitous meeting and asks how many women before she picked Jordan. Leigh admits that she picked Jordan after “4 or five” girls. Leigh also knows that she wouldn’t have achieved whatever she had without Jordan. Harper discloses that she misses Hope blames herself for her demise and demands help from Leigh to repair it. Harper vaguely tells Leigh that Harper is Jordan and Hope is Leigh.
Within the meantime, Jordan discovers a secret room painted in pink dedicated to Hope hidden behind a bookcase. Among the many mementos, Jordan finds a book of songs written by Hope, two pistols, and jars containing severed body parts of Hope. When she sees an eyeball in certainly one of the jars, she horrendously drops the jar. Jordan mindfully uses Hope’s severed finger to open an electronic lock that frees her from the basement.
HOW DID RICHIE DIE?
Richie is welcomed by Harper and Leigh. Harper asks a favor from Richie in getting back on the market within the music business. Having freed herself from the basement, Jordan overhears Richie scheming with the opposite two women to make a latest duo out of Leigh and Harper, leaving Jordan out of the equation. When Richie talks concerning the rumor going around Harper, she gets upset. When Leigh goes to the kitchen to get more drinks, Jordan confronts her. Jordan dismally tells her that she never expected Leigh to lock her within the basement and trade her in for Harper. She also tries to clarify what she present in the basement, but Leigh refuses to take heed to Jordan’s hypothesis that Harper killed Hope.
Meanwhile, Richie overruns his mouth to Leigh by saying that this chance with Leigh is the very best shot to get back within the mainstream after being gone all these years, Harper is visibly annoyed and displeased. When he continues to speak concerning the stardust that Hope had and the way she’s going to now be a powerful old hand behind Leigh, she stabs Richie to death in pure rage. Jordan realizes that Harper is sick and is attempting to turn them against one another. She insists on getting out of there but Leigh is adamant about staying as Leigh is swayed by Harper’s psychological games and says that Harper sees the star power in her to succeed.
TORN HEARTS MOVIE ENDING EXPLAINED:
WHAT HAPPENED TO HOPE?
After killing Richie, Harper finds the 2 women arguing within the lounge. Quite contrasting to what was said earlier, Harper says that she needs the artistry of Jordan and the star power of Leigh, much to the delight of Leigh. They together record the last song that Hope wrote. Afterward, Harper takes Jordan and Leigh to her bedroom where she gives them stage outfits and has them placed on makeup. Jordan observes Harper saying “almost there” to a photograph of Hope. Leigh and Jordan resume arguing antagonistically. While Leigh indicts Jordan for acting like caring concerning the band and her, Jordan taunts Leigh about who would write the songs for her if she leaves.
Harper declares her belief that Hope brought the duo to her in order that Harper could have her redemption by “evening things out.” Just when Jordan apologizes to Leigh, Harper appears with a shotgun and starts terrorizing the duo, causing them to run downstairs. They bump into Richie’s dead body and likewise find the doors locked. Jordan tries to kill Harper with the knife used to stab Richie, but she is unsuccessful. Together, they flee to the basement and collect the pistols Jordan discovered earlier. Harper hallucinates hearing and seeing Hope and tells her that it’s time for her to “atone.” Jordan and Leigh use the distraction to knock Harper to the ground. When Jordan and Leigh are hesitant to shoot their idol, the standoff gives Harper the leeway to inform them that she needs their help to atone for killing Hope.
Harper confesses that she killed Hope because her sister was threatening to go solo on the encouragement of the label once they began losing the audience. She had wanted to depart the band and do something for herself. She desired to buy a latest house and desired to tour alone. She killed Hope when she realized that she shall be unable to address Hope leaving the band. She may need known that she wouldn’t have the opportunity to be as famous as she was once they were performing together. Her tragic death and a sister in mourning would make the best story for Harper to bring a couple of rise in record sales. So after murdering her, she covered it up as a suicide. Nevertheless, Harper was not able to let go of Hope, she cut Hope into pieces and stored every bit individually, indicating her possessive nature towards Hope.
DO JORDAN AND LEIGH SURVIVE?
Harper explains how she goes to atone for the death of Harper. She tells Leigh that she has to make it and pursue every thing Hope couldn’t do in her life. Leigh will walk away with an incredible and sympathetic story that may help her launch her solo profession. She can even have Hope’s songs to enrich her success story. Harper says that to atone, Harper and Jordan must die. Harper insists on shooting one another on the count of three, but Jordan shoots Harper before she will fire her shotgun. At the identical time, Leigh also shoots Jordan within the stomach ascertaining the incontrovertible fact that Leigh’s want for fame was far more than her love for Jordan.
As Jordan bleeds out, Leigh becomes dazed by the story she makes up of surviving the tragedy and the way it can help her songs claim the highest spots on the charts. When Leigh would have a tragic story to inform the world, more people would take heed to her songs and she’s going to have her coveted popularity. Before Leigh can leave the Dutch manor, a fatally wounded Jordan retrieves Harper’s shotgun and uses it to kill Leigh. Jordan and Leigh drop dead. They each lost their lives at one another’s hands, identical to they were craving for fame together. In the ultimate sequence, we see Caleb Crawford exploiting his reference to Harper and the Torn Hearts band to earn his fame. He brings the music of Torn Hearts and the ultimate song the trio recorded back to life in tribute to all 4 women and it sets the pace for his thriving profession.
TORN HEARTS MOVIE THEMES EXPLAINED:
THE TOXIC PURSUIT OF FAME AND STARDOM:
Torn Hearts explores the dark underbelly of the entertainment industry during which aspiring starlets fall prey to the best human weakness, that’s, the toxic lust for fame and stardom. Of their mindless and uncontrolled eager for fame, some are likely to grow to be too narcissistic and consign to oblivion their friendships and relationships. They betray and sacrifice probably the most family members on the altar of fame to attain greatness and distinction. The film highlights the gruesome toll it might probably tackle searching for fame on the expense of wounding others. Harper chased fame after killing her sister and likewise, Leigh tried to attain stardom by selling the tragedy of her idol and bandmate. Nevertheless, they couldn’t reap the profit as Harper felt guilty for killing her sister as she was haunted by the memories of her. Underneath Leigh’s pretty exterior, we get to witness her self-centered and greedy nature and conniving ambition which, in turn, makes Jordan kill her before she finally succumbed to death.
THE MYTH OF UNWAVERING SISTERHOOD:
Torn Hearts challenges the parable of unwavering loyalty and the everlasting love of sisterhood. This women-centric film traverses the downside of non-public and skilled jealousy and betrayal witnessed in siblings or friends pursuing the identical goal or end. The film showcases the rivalry between sisters Hope and Harper during which Harper goes to the extent of killing Hope out of rage and betrayal for abandoning her in her pursuit of fame. Likewise, Leigh and Jordan, long-time friends and at least sisters, also fall into the trap of monopolizing stardom and fame themselves. It details the extent of feminist solidarity in green-eyed and self-seeking individuals which fuels the conflict between the singer duo Leigh and Jordan. This psychodrama tests the bounds of their friendship and allegiance by making them turn against one another and so they succumb to the charms of fame and celebrity culture.
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