It was the photo seen around the world: a young Black boy, Devonte Hart, tears streaming down his face as he hugged a white police officer during a 2014 protest in Portland. It looked like hope. It looked like healing. But four years later, that same boy, his five siblings, and their two mothers—Jennifer and Sarah Hart—were gone. Their SUV was found upside down at the bottom of a 100-foot cliff along the Pacific Coast Highway in Mendocino County, California.
If you’re looking for broken harts where to watch, you’re probably already aware that this isn't just a true crime story. It’s a systemic failure.
The 2021 documentary Broken Harts, produced by Discovery+ and based on the investigative podcast by Glamour and Pineapple Street Media, tries to peel back the filters. Because, honestly, the Harts lived their lives through filters. Jennifer Hart’s Facebook feed was a curated gallery of "free-spirited" living, organic meals, and musical festivals. Behind the scenes? Neighbors were calling CPS because the kids were begging for food.
Finding the Stream: Broken Harts Where to Watch Right Now
Let's get straight to it. If you want to see the film today, your primary destination is Discovery+.
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Since Discovery merged with Warner Bros., the documentary is also readily available on Max (formerly HBO Max). If you have a subscription to either, you’re good to go. You can also find it through the Discovery+ channel add-on if you use Amazon Prime Video or Hulu.
Is it on Netflix? No.
Is it on YouTube for free? Not legally. You might find "deep dive" videos by creators like Stephanie Harlowe or Kendall Rae—who have both done extensive, multi-hour breakdowns of this case—but the actual documentary film is tied to the Warner Bros. Discovery ecosystem.
Why the Hart Family Case Still Feels Like a Gut Punch
I remember when the news first broke in March 2018. People wanted to believe it was a tragic accident. Maybe the brakes failed? Maybe Jennifer, who was driving, had a medical emergency?
The data told a different story.
Investigators found that the SUV had been stopped at a turnout before being "floored." There were no skid marks. Jennifer’s blood alcohol level was over the legal limit. Sarah and several of the children had high levels of diphenhydramine (Benadryl) in their systems. This wasn't a tragedy; it was a murder-suicide.
The documentary does a heavy lift trying to figure out how two women with multiple prior reports of child abuse managed to keep adopting children. It’s infuriating. In 2011, Sarah Hart actually pleaded guilty to domestic assault involving one of the kids in Minnesota. They just moved. They moved from Minnesota to Oregon to Washington.
Every time the heat got too high, they packed the van and started over.
The Digital Facade vs. The Reality
One of the most jarring things about watching Broken Harts is seeing the contrast between the social media posts and the police reports. Jennifer was a "shaman" of the digital age. She knew exactly how to frame a photo to make a malnourished child look like a "soulful" artist.
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The film utilizes actual footage from the family’s life, and it’s deeply uncomfortable. You see the kids performing. You see the vacant looks in their eyes that everyone missed—or chose to ignore—because the narrative of the "multicultural, enlightened family" was too beautiful to question.
We often talk about "white saviorism" in the context of international aid, but this documentary forces a conversation about how it operates in the American foster and adoption system. The Harts were able to bypass red flags specifically because they looked the part of the "perfect" adoptive parents.
What the Documentary Gets Right (and What it Misses)
The film is directed by Simon Boyes, and it leans heavily into the investigative journalism started by Justine Harman and Elisabeth Egan. It succeeds in humanizing the children—Markis, Hannah, Devonte, Abigail, Jeremiah, and Sierra—who were often treated as props in their mothers' lives.
However, some critics argue the film doesn't go deep enough into the failure of the interstate compact system. How does a "founded" report of abuse in one state not follow a family to the next? The film touches on it, but the reality is a bureaucratic nightmare that still exists today.
If you're watching this for a "whodunnit" vibe, you'll be disappointed. We know who did it. The "why" is the abyss. The film explores the pressure Jennifer felt as the walls closed in, especially after neighbors in Woodland, Washington, finally called authorities just days before the crash because Devonte was coming over at night asking for tortillas and bananas.
Impact on the True Crime Genre
This isn't Tiger King. It’s not "fun" true crime. It’s a somber, often depressing look at how the internet allows us to curate fake lives.
When searching for broken harts where to watch, you should also be prepared for the emotional toll. It’s a heavy watch. It challenges the viewer to look past the "likes" and "shares." It asks us why we, as a society, are so quick to believe a well-lit photo over the desperate whispers of a hungry child.
Technical Details for Streamers
If you’re trying to optimize your viewing experience, here’s the breakdown of how to access it:
- Max (formerly HBO Max): Standard or Ad-Free tiers both carry the film.
- Discovery+: Available in most regions. If you are outside the US, you may need to check local listings for the "Investigation Discovery" (ID) catalog.
- Direct Purchase: You can buy or rent the film on platforms like Apple TV or Vudu, though streaming via a subscription you already have is usually the cheaper route.
Beyond the Film: The Next Steps for Viewers
Watching a documentary like Broken Harts often leaves people feeling helpless. The story of Devonte Hart and his siblings shouldn't just be "content" we consume on a Tuesday night.
If the film moves you, the best thing to do isn't to just find the next documentary. It's to understand the systems that failed.
- Support Foster Youth Organizations: Groups like Treehouse or the National Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) Association work to provide voices for children who are in the exact position the Hart children were in.
- Understand Mandatory Reporting: If you see something that feels "off" with a child in your neighborhood, don't assume someone else has called it in. The neighbors in Washington are the only reason we even knew the kids were in danger before the crash happened.
- Critical Consumption of Social Media: This case is a masterclass in the "Pinterest-perfect" trap. Be skeptical of influencers who use children as the primary engine for their personal brand.
- Advocate for Interstate Record Sharing: Support legislation that requires child protective services to share data across state lines more effectively. The "move and reset" tactic used by the Harts is a common loophole for abusers.
The Hart family's story is a tragedy of errors, missed signals, and a desperate need for external validation. Watching it is an act of bearing witness to six lives that deserved a lot more than a "perfect" Facebook post and a tragic end on a California beach.