Heartland

Although aiming for emotional complexity, filmmaker Maura Anderson's homespun drama about an unlikely lesbian romance feels more schematic than real. Artist Lauren (Velinda Godfrey, who co-wrote the script) returns to the rural Oklahoma home of her widowed mother Crystal (Beth Grant) after a girlfriend dies and she loses her job. By chance, her brother Justin (Aaron Leddick) shows up with his girlfriend Carrie (Laura Spencer) for the grand opening of a winery that he owns in partnership with a boyhood friend. When Justin is called back to Fort Worth on business, Lauren and Carrie grow close, eventually succumbing to their passion (as they huddle together during a tornado scare). While they hope to keep their encounter a secret, it is quickly revealed, sending Justin into a rage and angering Crystal, who has never come to terms with her daughter's sexuality and hoped that her return home would signal a change of lifestyle. Heartland is earnest and well-meaning but dramatically creaky, with dialogue that often sounds as if it were drawn from a soap opera writer's handbook, and acting that is frequently amateurish. Given the high level of artistry now common in contemporary gay-coming-out movies, the simple good intentions of a film like this are no longer enough. Optional. (F. Swietek)