How Netflix Used Music To Tell an “Authentic” Country Story in Carter Faith’s Debut Movie ‘Heartland’ (Exclusive)

Music is at the heart of Heartland. Out today, Netflix’s latest thriller follows troubled country legend Misty Jones (Jessica Chastain) as she tries to find her missing niece, Charlie Heart (Carter Faith), who’s seemingly swept up in Nashville’s seedy underbelly.

While the movie is undeniably country, it’s not so in the same way that director Shana Feste’s 2010 release, Country Strong, is. That film followed a country star’s comeback tour, and, as such, featured many onstage moments throughout.

This time around, Feste and her returning music supervisor, Randall Poster, sought to inject country music into the essence of the project in a different way. In doing so, they set out to make “a film noir set in the world of country music,” Poster told American Songwriter.

Poster noted that he views his job as one that “creates a world of music that helps to power the storytelling.” For Heartland, reaching that end goal had its own challenges.

“You have to deliver the music and help use the music to reinforce the characters and help create some dramatic moments,” he said, “but the story can’t stop for music.”

During a panel that followed a special screening of the film in Nashville, Feste reiterated the importance of walking that tightrope.

“We wanted to find music that furthered the story. It is a thriller in its heart, and we knew we couldn’t just sit back and take time for a four minute song to watch a performance,” she said. “Each song really has to tell a story.”

How Carter Faith Contributed to Heartland

Enter Carter Faith. The real-life rising country star may be making her acting debut in the film, but music is where her expertise lie. As such, Faith contributed to the soundtrack, penning lyrics and lending her voice to multiple songs.

“She is an incredible singer. She has a performative grace that really is very compelling. It feels very honest,” Poster said. “And she’s a badass songwriter… She kind of does it all.”

Feste agreed, noting that she’s “just so in awe of Carter’s lyrics.”

“That is just dialogue I couldn’t write,” the writer/director said. “It was almost like having a co-writer with me to tell this story.”

From Faith’s perspective, her musical know-how was equally helpful in her acting debut. It allowed her to get a deeper understanding of her character, she said.

“Getting to write for it was really special. It helped me,” Faith told the Nashville audience. “Writing is how I connect with myself in the world. Getting to write for the movie, but also as Charlie, it was really helpful to get into her brain and her soul.”

Faith did just that on “Still the Sparrow Sings,” which she co-wrote with Hillary Lindsey and Tofer Brown.

“I knew what I needed to write, and I knew what I needed to be. I had read the script so many times. I knew what that moment needed to feel like,” Faith said. “… That was definitely not a song written by me. It was song written by Charlie.”

Inside the Music of Heartland

While Faith does get a sit down musical moment as she performs the emotional track in the film’s final moments, that’s the outlier.

For one, there’s Jennifer Nettles’ “You’re Gonna Burn for That.” Nettles’ Winnie Jo Lean does sing the song in the film, but it’s during a peek dramatic moment. In that case, Feste interspersed Nettles’ time on stage with nail-biting shots.

“That song is used very dramatically, [but in a way where] the music doesn’t interrupt the the storytelling,” Poster said.

Those tracks are contrasted with “Heartland” and “Family Ties,” two songs that the “incomparable” Chastain sings for the soundtrack, but that aren’t performed in the film. Rather, Poster used the tracks a background music in pivotal scenes.

“Those songs had dramatic moments that I knew I could lean on to put the hook of music into the audience,” Poster explained.

It’s not just the cast that leant their voices to the soundtrack. Poster cast a wide net over Nashville in order to solicit songs for the project.

He ended up landing tracks from Margo Price and Channing Wilson. Those gets fulfilled Poster’s desire to curate a “really authentic” country feel.

Poster even got to live out his “crazed Carly Pearce” fandom. He did so by tapping the country star to sing Don Schlitz’s “Ready & Waiting” on the soundtrack.

In doing so, Poster said that he hopes his musical choices enhanced the film in one of the many ways that the medium has been known to.

“It can add so many things. It can add tempo. It can add texture. It can add drama. It can add context. It can add irony. It can add scale,” he said of music in film. “It can add, period.”

Heartland is now streaming on Netflix.

All Photos provided by Tina Rowden/Netflix © 2026.