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Broken Land

Broken Land

Grace finds us where we least deserve it.

202599 minPG-13Midcredits score: 32nd percentile of all films
Director
Joseph T. Walker
Starring
David Morse, Bill Heck, Diane Yang Kirk, Nina Leon

An embittered Texas border rancher mistakenly shoots a young migrant woman as she crosses his property and must decide whether to help her, risking discovery by his estranged son, a Border Patrol Agent.

Where to watch

Where can I watch Broken Land?

As of October 24, 2026, MovieCove lists Broken Land streaming on Prime Video, The Roku Channel (free) and Tubi (free) and to rent or buy on Prime Video.

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Your rating, lists and review

Reception

Is Broken Land worth watching?

Broken Land's Midcredits score is the 32nd percentile of all films, from 276 ratings across 3 sources. 32% liked it (rated it 7 or higher out of 10).

Midcredits score

How well it was received

32nd percentile

Better received than 32% of films

28th percentile among Drama34th percentile among 2020s
Acclaim (how much people like it)40th
Approval (how many liked it)26th

59 /100

40th percentile of all films

37th percentile among Drama42nd percentile among 2020s

Rating distribution

Ratings scatter across the whole scale — one of the most divisive reactions in the catalog.

Approval

How many liked it

32% liked it

26th percentile of all films

21st percentile among Drama27th percentile among 2020s
32% rated it 7–1068% rated it 1–6

Critics 93%

The Rotten Tomatoes critic score.

Reach

How many have seen it

60th percentile

276 ratings across platforms

63rd percentile among Drama59th percentile among 2020s
TMDB popularity, last 37 days to Oct 26Down 1% in 30 days

What reviewers say

Common ground

The film is a slow, character-driven drama with strong performances and a sparse story.

Fans praised

  • superb cast and acting
  • compelling slow-burn drama
  • thematically resonant premise about helping others

Detractors panned

  • thin story with not enough meat
  • very slow and drawn out pacing

What stands out

Acting85

superb cast, David Morse fits rough silent type well

Emotional impact65

compelling despite slowness, thematically moving

Characters60

hardened people choosing to help

Plot and story35

thin story, not enough meat on the bones

Pacing30

very slow and drawn out, many skippable scenes

Watch experience

What is Broken Land like to watch?

Conclusions only — categories and positions, no plot detail.

Tense and gripping: browse every movie of this kind

Watch this when you are ready to pay close attention and feel heavy feelings, and you want something tense that holds you to the end.

It is intense and leaves you thinking. Skip it when you want an easy night or you can only half-watch.

ToneFeelDemandwhat the answer rests onexact position · filled zone: the category

What it asks of you

Your full attention and room for heavy feelings.

What it feels like

Tense and gripping.

The answer rests on this: Moods
TenseMelancholicContemplative
Heaviest: middle
Register
Solemn: Grave and dignified; treats its subject with weight and respect.Brooding: Heavy, inward, weather-beaten.
Told as
Three-act: Setup, confrontation, resolution — the default Hollywood shape.
ToneThe film holds its material with a quiet, serious gravity, playing the moral dilemma straight without ironic distance.
The rideThe tension from the concealment and investigation dominates the middle stretch, while the film maintains a heavy, contemplative mood throughout.
StructureThe synopsis and reviews describe a linear sequence: the shooting, the hiding, and the investigation, which fits a conventional three-act structure.

How it leaves you

what you carry away

Thinking.

Thought-provokingUnsettling
Why it leaves you this wayThe film leaves you pondering the moral complexities of borders, guilt, and redemption, with an uneasy sense of the unresolved tensions between family and duty.
How it ends · evidence
Ambiguous ending

Story archetype

where it sits among all films
Monster — 21% of films. A threat menaces the hero's world and must be defeated.Rags — 3% of films. A rise from lowliness to fortune, status, or recognition.Quest — 10% of films. A journey toward a defined objective, with companions and obstacles.Voyage — 4% of films. Into a strange world and back again, changed.Comedy — 11% of films. Confusion and cross-purposes resolved into harmony.Tragedy — 9% of films. A flaw or fixation drives the protagonist to ruin.Rebirth — 13% of films. A stalled or darkened life reopened and renewed.Mystery — 7% of films. A question drives the story — who did it, what happened, what is real — until it is answered.No archetype — 22% of filmsPredator — 6% of films. A creature or killer hunts the protagonists (Jaws, Alien).Tyrant — 6% of films. A human villain holds power over the hero's world (Die Hard).Invasion — 2% of films. An external force attacks the home or world (Independence Day).Oppressive state — 2% of films. A government, its agencies or a secret faction inside them is the monster (V for Vendetta).Corporate villainy — 1% of films. A company or its bosses are the monster (Erin Brockovich).Institutional injustice — 1% of films. A court, prison, police force, school or church is itself the enemy (Spotlight).Class system — under 1% of films. The gap between rich and poor, or a rigid hierarchy, is the monster (Parasite).Technology turns — under 1% of films. Technology people rely on becomes the threat (The Terminator).Inner demon — 1% of films. The monster is within — addiction, illness, a dark double.Underdog triumph — 2% of films. Rise through competition or contest (Rocky).Social ascent — under 1% of films. A climb in class or status (Pretty Woman).Fame and fortune — under 1% of films. An artistic or showbiz rise (A Star Is Born).Rise and fall — under 1% of films. Wealth or power gained, self lost (Scarface).Hidden worth revealed — under 1% of films. The protagonist's true value finally recognized.Treasure hunt — 1% of films. Retrieve an object of value (Raiders of the Lost Ark).Rescue — 4% of films. Retrieve or save a person (Saving Private Ryan).Mission — 5% of films. Accomplish or destroy a defined objective (Mission: Impossible).Journey home — under 1% of films. The goal is getting back (Finding Nemo).Pilgrimage — 1% of films. The journey itself transforms; the destination is symbolic.Portal fantasy — under 1% of films. Transported into another world (The Wizard of Oz).Fish out of water — 2% of films. Displaced into an unfamiliar social world (Elf).Survival ordeal — 1% of films. Trapped in a hostile environment, fighting back (Cast Away).Time displacement — under 1% of films. Unstuck in time (Back to the Future).Descent — 1% of films. A night-journey into an underworld or subculture (After Hours).Romantic comedy — 4% of films. Lovers kept apart by confusion, united at last.Comedy of errors — 3% of films. Mistaken identity or misunderstanding drives the plot.Farce — 2% of films. Escalating absurd chaos and coincidence (The Hangover).Buddy comedy — 1% of films. A mismatched pair forced together (Rush Hour).Comedy of manners — 1% of films. Social codes and class satirized (Clueless).Hubris — 1% of films. Pride or ambition invites the fall (There Will Be Blood).Obsession — 2% of films. A fixation consumes the protagonist (Black Swan).Corruption arc — 2% of films. Step-by-step moral decay (The Godfather).Doomed love — 2% of films. Love destroyed by circumstance (Brokeback Mountain).Crushed by fate — 3% of films. Destroyed by forces beyond the protagonist's control.Redemption — 3% of films. Moral reawakening of a hardened soul (A Christmas Carol).Healing — 5% of films. Recovery from grief or trauma (Good Will Hunting).Liberation — 2% of films. Breaking free of a confining life (Room).Second chance — 2% of films. A stagnant life re-opened to love or purpose (Groundhog Day).Puzzle — 1% of films. A clue-by-clue puzzle you can try to solve before the reveal (Knives Out, Clue).Investigation — 5% of films. A long pursuit of the truth that may never be fully solved (Zodiac, Memories of Murder).Enigma — 2% of films. The mystery is what is real, or what is actually happening (Mulholland Drive).Rebirth
Every story archetype, clockwise from the top
  • Monster 21%: Predator 6% · Tyrant 6% · Invasion 2% · Oppressive state 2% · Corporate villainy 1% · Institutional injustice 1% · Class system under 1% · Technology turns under 1% · Inner demon 1%
  • Rags 3%: Underdog triumph 2% · Social ascent under 1% · Fame and fortune under 1% · Rise and fall under 1% · Hidden worth revealed under 1%
  • Quest 10%: Treasure hunt 1% · Rescue 4% · Mission 5% · Journey home under 1% · Pilgrimage 1%
  • Voyage 4%: Portal fantasy under 1% · Fish out of water 2% · Survival ordeal 1% · Time displacement under 1% · Descent 1%
  • Comedy 11%: Romantic comedy 4% · Comedy of errors 3% · Farce 2% · Buddy comedy 1% · Comedy of manners 1%
  • Tragedy 9%: Hubris 1% · Obsession 2% · Corruption arc 2% · Doomed love 2% · Crushed by fate 3%
  • Rebirth 13% (this title): Redemption 3% (this title) · Healing 5% · Liberation 2% · Second chance 2%
  • Mystery 7%: Puzzle 1% · Investigation 5% · Enigma 2%
  • No archetype 22%

Rebirth: A stalled or darkened life reopened and renewed. · Redemption: Moral reawakening of a hardened soul (A Christmas Carol).

13% of films fit this archetype

A loose fit — the map only half-holds this one.

Why this archetypeThe story centers on a fearful, isolated man whose accidental act forces him into a moral reckoning, leading him to protect the person he harmed. His arc of reluctantly helping the migrant suggests a redemption journey from guilt toward compassion.

What it's about

7 groups · 53 themes
Bonds — 27% of filmsSelf — 22% of filmsPower — 7% of filmsMorality — 16% of filmsSurvival — 15% of filmsSociety — 9% of filmsIdeas — 5% of filmsRomantic love — 15% of filmsMarriage — 2% of filmsFamily bonds — 21% of filmsParenthood — 2% of filmsFriendship — 9% of filmsLoyalty — 4% of filmsIdentity — 14% of filmsComing of age — 5% of filmsAging — under 1% of filmsSelf-worth — 7% of filmsAmbition — 7% of filmsPurpose — 9% of filmsMemory — 3% of filmsObsession — 3% of films. A fixation consumes the protagonist (Black Swan).Power — 2% of filmsCorruption — 3% of filmsGreed — 3% of filmsClass — 3% of filmsOppression — 4% of filmsFreedom — 5% of filmsJustice — 13% of filmsDuty — 2% of filmsRevenge — 4% of filmsGuilt — 3% of filmsRedemption — 6% of films. Moral reawakening of a hardened soul (A Christmas Carol).Forgiveness — 1% of filmsSacrifice — 4% of filmsBetrayal — 5% of filmsDeception — 9% of filmsSurvival — 17% of filmsWar — 1% of filmsViolence — 4% of filmsMortality — 2% of filmsGrief — 6% of filmsTrauma — 7% of filmsMental illness — 1% of filmsAddiction — 1% of filmsIllness and disability — under 1% of filmsCommunity — 14% of films. Consequences reach a town, institution or group.Isolation — 5% of filmsPrejudice — 3% of filmsDisplacement — 1% of filmsFaith — 3% of filmsTradition vs change — 2% of filmsFame — 3% of filmsLegacy — 4% of filmsFate — 1% of filmsFree will — under 1% of filmsTruth — 4% of filmsHope — 5% of filmsNature — 2% of filmsArt — 4% of filmsTechnology — 1% of filmsSelfGuiltMorality
Every theme, clockwise from the top
  • Bonds 27%: Romantic love 15% · Marriage 2% · Family bonds 21% (this title) · Parenthood 2% · Friendship 9% · Loyalty 4%
  • Self 22%: Identity 14% · Coming of age 5% · Aging under 1% · Self-worth 7% · Ambition 7% · Purpose 9% · Memory 3% · Obsession 3%
  • Power 7%: Power 2% · Corruption 3% · Greed 3% · Class 3% · Oppression 4% (this title) · Freedom 5%
  • Morality 16% (this title): Justice 13% · Duty 2% · Revenge 4% · Guilt 3% (this title) · Redemption 6% · Forgiveness 1% · Sacrifice 4% · Betrayal 5% · Deception 9%
  • Survival 15%: Survival 17% · War 1% · Violence 4% · Mortality 2% · Grief 6% · Trauma 7% · Mental illness 1% · Addiction 1% · Illness and disability under 1%
  • Society 9%: Community 14% · Isolation 5% · Prejudice 3% · Displacement 1% · Faith 3% · Tradition vs change 2% · Fame 3% · Legacy 4%
  • Ideas 5%: Fate 1% · Free will under 1% · Truth 4% · Hope 5% · Nature 2% · Art 4% · Technology 1%

Morality

Guilt · 3% of filmsFamily bondsOppression · 4% of films
Interrogates its theme: Questions its theme without settling the answer.Intimate stakes: Consequences reach a person or a household.Dual lead
How it treats its themeThe film explores the rancher's guilt over his accidental shooting and his moral struggle to do right by the migrant while navigating his strained relationship with his border patrol son.
StanceThe film probes moral responsibility and the dehumanizing effects of border enforcement without offering easy answers.

The world

ContemporaryRuralDomesticRealistic
AmbientSupportive music · original score · Matthew Atticus Berger
SettingA remote ranch near the US-Mexico border, where the story unfolds.
MusicThe score likely underscores the tense, contemplative mood with sparse, ambient textures.

Content guide

Is Broken Land okay for kids?

PG-13

Broken Land is rated PG-13.

No detailed content scores for this title yet.

What content warnings does Broken Land have?

Not screened for content warnings yet.

Cast and crew

Who is in Broken Land?

Cast

David Morse
as Carson Tidwell
Bill Heck
as Harley Tidwell
Diane Yang Kirk
as Dr. Tracy Lim
Nina Leon
as Maria
Morgana Shaw
as Cathy
Brian Villalobos
as Will
Pam Dougherty
as Portia
Cynthia Santiago
as Officer Lopez
Sandy Avila
as Sarah Gutierrez
Jacinto Rodriguez
as Eddie

Crew

More like this

What are movies like Broken Land?

Movies like Broken Land include Hellion (2014), The King (2005) and Lone Star (1996). Of the 5 closest matches, two are stories about estranged parents and children, and most are chamber dramas.

Balanced: every group counts the same, and production only breaks ties.

Explore by

What else shares a premise, people or place with Broken Land?

1.7K other films share the rarest tag below, relationship: parent and child estranged. Each tag opens Browse with the films that share it.