Hearts and Bones was shown at a number of film festivals in 2019, after which the film was originally slated for an April 2020 release into Australian cinemas. The April wide-release was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which forced the shutdown of the nation's cinemas.[1] Instead of delaying the theatrical release, the film opted instead to release directly onto digital platforms on May 6, 2020.[2]
The home-video release was planned for June 3, 2020.
Critical response
On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, Hearts and Bones has an 82% approval rating, based on 28 reviews The site's critical consensus reads, "Hearts and Bones is more powerful in concept than execution, although strong work from a deftly assembled cast adds much-needed heft."[3]
Variety's Eddie Cockrell called it "an impressive narrative feature debut".[4] Harry Windsor from the Hollywood Reporter gave his bottom line as "A drama about good intentions that pulls up just short of the abyss."[5] Sarah Ward from Screen Daily wrote "An intimate film tackling an expansive subject — the treatment of refugees around the globe, and the way the world processes the traumas that lead to such urgent, widespread immigration — this is a poignant and morally complex drama".[6]