Broken Heart Land

The Film

On October 2010, in his parents’ ranch in Norman, Oklahoma, gay teen Zack Harrington killed himself with a gunshot to the head. One week earlier, Zack attended a local city council meeting in support of a proposal for LGBTQ History Month in his Bible Belt town. When the floor was opened up for public comments, it became clear that the citizens of Norman were bitterly split on the issue of homosexuality.

In the wake of the tragedy, Zack became a symbol for a town divided. For the first time, Zack’s grief-stricken parents, both conservative Republicans and military veterans, are forced to confront their own feelings about Zack’s homosexuality. They realize his death was, in part, a result of their own reticence to talk openly about his sexuality. Determined to understand, they discover his private diary, which paints a gripping portrait of a boy in crisis. Ultimately, they discover a chilling secret that Zack kept hidden for almost two years.

On the one year anniversary of Zack’s suicide, outspoken conservative citizens run for City Council and in response, a support group called “MOMS: Mothers of Many” (mainly comprised of local mothers of LGBTQ youth) become politically active, convincing Zack’s family to get involved. Over the course of the election season, we witness the Harringtons come out of their own closet, moving from private denial to a climactic and very public acceptance of their son’s legacy.