Heart of Gold

Heart of Gold

2023 · 80 min · ★ 7.0 · Drama, History

Texas, 1969. Michael infuriates girlfriend Mary-Bob by accepting the draft to serve in Vietnam. But after a violent incident at boot camp, he deserts and escapes over the border to British Columbia. Here he finds shelter with a group of Russian pacifists, the Doukhobors. Meanwhile back in the US, Mary-Bob becomes a militant anti-war activist... Their stories are told through letters they are writing to each other but cannot send, because both are on the run.

Directed by Patricia Gruben · Written by Patricia Gruben

Your Rating

Where to Watch

Rent or Buy

Cast

Cesare Scarpone Michael Winchester
Pascal Lamothe-Kipnes Mary-Bob Walbarger
Buck Delaney Nikolai Kalachoff
Tariq Leslie Dr. Dimov
Jennifer Copping Helen Winchester
Erin Purghart Alison
Noah Rosellini Koozma Kalachoff
Eric Vincent Riley Bill
Sam Krochmal Vietnam Vet
Dan Swain Daryl
Travis Jack Smith

Make it a double feature

3h 33m together

Heart of Gold

The Iron Claw

A close match in mood and era.

More from Patricia GrubenSee all →

Sifted Evidence

Sifted Evidence · 1982

Sifted Evidence

A woman is telling the story of how she went to Mexico looking for an obscure archaeological site; how she met a man who promised to take her there; how they stayed together locked in cross-purposes and misunderstandings - how, but never why. The central event has been reconstructed through stills, narration, and enactment by two performers in a tableau limited by the boundaries of the front projection screen.

Deep Sleep

Deep Sleep · 1990

MovieMysteryThriller

An emotionally disturbed young woman who is obsessed with the death of her father delves into the mystery.

Heartaches

Heartaches · 1981

MovieDramaComedy

A young wife becomes pregnant, but the child's father is not her husband. Afraid to tell him, she leaves home, and meets an outgoing, free-spirited woman on a bus. Although the two are polar opposites, the wife moves in with the young woman, and finds out that they have much more in common than she realized.

The Central Character

The Central Character · 1978

The Central Character

"A woman's attempt to keep chaos at bay by naming, classifying, and ordering her domestic environment. This ultimately results in a total loss of ego and verbal capacity. Through the innovative juxtaposition of printed text, graphics, step printing, and disintegrating soundtrack, Gruben constructs a narrative breakdown that parallels the unconscious patterning of her character's mind." - Richard Stanford, National Gallery of Canada

More Like This

Marie Antoinette

Marie Antoinette · 2006

Marie Antoinette

MovieDramaHistory

A retelling of the story of France’s iconic but ill-fated queen, Marie Antoinette - from her betrothal and marriage to Louis XVI at fifteen to her reign as queen at nineteen and ultimately the fall of Versailles.

Kramer vs. Kramer

Kramer vs. Kramer · 1979

Kramer vs. Kramer

Ted Kramer is a career man for whom his work comes before his family. His wife Joanna cannot take this anymore, so she decides to leave him. Ted is now faced with the tasks of housekeeping and taking care of himself and their young son Billy.

EverAfter

EverAfter · 1998

MovieDramaRomance

Danielle, a vibrant young woman, was forced into servitude after the death of her father when she was a young girl. Danielle's stepmother, Rodmilla, is a heartless woman who forces Danielle to do the cooking and cleaning, while she tries to marry off the eldest of her two daughters to the prince. But Danielle's life takes a wonderful turn when, under the guise of a visiting royal, she meets the charming Prince Henry.

Mary Shelley's Frankenstein

Mary Shelley's Frankenstein · 1994

Mary Shelley's Frankenstein

MovieDramaHorror

Victor Frankenstein is a promising young doctor who, devastated by the death of his mother during childbirth, becomes obsessed with bringing the dead back to life. His experiments lead to the creation of a monster, which Frankenstein has put together with the remains of corpses. It's not long before Frankenstein regrets his actions.

Girl, Interrupted

Girl, Interrupted · 1999

Girl, Interrupted

Set in the changing world of the late 1960s, Susanna Kaysen's prescribed "short rest" from a psychiatrist she had met only once becomes a strange, unknown journey into Alice's Wonderland, where she struggles with the thin line between normal and crazy. Susanna soon realizes how hard it is to get out once she has been committed, and she ultimately has to choose between the world of people who belong inside or the difficult world of reality outside.

Dead Poets Society

Dead Poets Society · 1989

Dead Poets Society

At an elite, old-fashioned boarding school in New England, a passionate English teacher inspires his students to rebel against convention and seize the potential of every day, courting the disdain of the stern headmaster.

Mermaids

Mermaids · 1990

MovieComedyDrama

Fifteen-year-old Charlotte Flax is tired of her wacky mom moving their family to a different town any time she feels it is necessary. When they move to a small Massachusetts town and Mrs. Flax begins dating a shopkeeper, Charlotte and her 9-year-old sister, Kate, hope that they can finally settle down. But when Charlotte's attraction to an older man gets in the way, the family must learn to accept each other for who they truly are.

Heavenly Creatures

Heavenly Creatures · 1994

Heavenly Creatures

MovieDramaFantasy

Precocious teenager Juliet moves to New Zealand with her family and soon befriends the quiet, brooding Pauline through their shared love of fantasy and literature. This friendship gradually develops into an intense and obsessive bond.

Au Revoir les Enfants

Au Revoir les Enfants · 1987

Au Revoir les Enfants

Au revoir les enfants tells a heartbreaking story of friendship and devastating loss concerning two boys living in Nazi-occupied France. At a provincial Catholic boarding school, the precocious youths enjoy true camaraderie—until a secret is revealed. Based on events from writer-director Malle’s own childhood, the film is a subtle, precisely observed tale of courage, cowardice, and tragic awakening.

Breakfast on Pluto

Breakfast on Pluto · 2005

Breakfast on Pluto

MovieDramaComedy

In the 1970s, a young transgender woman called “Kitten” leaves her small Irish town for London in search of love, acceptance, and her long-lost mother.

Mississippi Burning

Mississippi Burning · 1988

Mississippi Burning

MovieDramaCrime

Two FBI agents investigating the murder of civil rights workers during the 60s seek to breach the conspiracy of silence in a small Southern town where segregation divides black and white. The younger agent trained in FBI school runs up against the small town ways of his partner, a former sheriff.

Miracle on 34th Street

Miracle on 34th Street · 1994

Miracle on 34th Street

MovieFantasyDrama

Six-year-old Susan Walker has doubts about childhood's most enduring miracle—Santa Claus. Her mother told her the secret about Santa a long time ago, but, after meeting a special department store Santa who's convinced he's the real thing, Susan is given the most precious gift of all—something to believe in.

The Iron Claw

The Iron Claw · 2023

MovieDramaHistory

The true story of the inseparable Von Erich brothers, who made history in the intensely competitive world of professional wrestling in the early 1980s. Through tragedy and triumph, under the shadow of their domineering father and coach, the brothers seek larger-than-life immortality on the biggest stage in sports.

Steel Magnolias

Steel Magnolias · 1989

Steel Magnolias

MovieDramaComedy

A young beautician, newly arrived in a small Louisiana town, finds work at the local salon, where a small group of women share a close bond of friendship and welcome her into the fold.

We Were Soldiers

We Were Soldiers · 2002

We Were Soldiers

MovieActionHistory

The year is 1965 and America is at war with North Vietnam. Commanding the air cavalry is Lt. Col. Hal Moore (Gibson), a born leader committed to his troops. His target: the Ia Drang Valley, called "The Valley of Death." As Moore prepares for one of the most violent battles in U.S. history, he delivers a stirring promise to his soldiers and their families: "I will leave no man behind...dead or alive. We will all come home together."

Rate this film

Your ratings make Midnight smarter