Together we are chaos,
And it's perfect…
~ Cassie Salazar
Who says love born from chaos and pain is not real? That may be the true test. This touching romance/musical movie recently released by Netflix proves it. Occasionally, I like to stir things up a bit and watch romance. After seeing this one, I knew it was a good choice. Not because of the cast (though the director scores a good point for this), but because of the inspiring message in it.
Based on the novel of the same name by Tess Wakefield, Purple Hearts (2022) is an American romance that is centred around commitment, love and patriotism. We watch an upcoming singer/songwriter/bartender, Cassie Salazar, meet a group of young men about to deploy to Iraq and catch the attention of one of them. Being a diabetic, when her insulin prescription finishes and she realises that her insurance can not cover her medical care, an expedient and easy way out was to marry a Marine.
Luke Morrow, one of the deployed young men who is sinking in drug debt, agrees to marry Cassie to pay off his debt. For this marriage to be successful without drawing the authorities' attention, they had to fake it. Not until everything comes crashing down when Luke's legs are shattered in an IED accident. Can this couple keep up the pretence in the face of problems around them?
Review
If there is the only thing I can applaud about this inspiring movie is the chemistry between Luke (played by Nicholas Galitzine) and Cassie (played by the lovely Sofia Carson). They are believable, sweet and perfect as a couple. I could almost believe their love is real then I blink and remember that I'm watching a movie!
Each scene is captivating, picturesque, and has no dull moment. Unlike some romances, the couple did not fall in love on a whim or at first sight. I love how gradual it was —from instant dislike to friends and then love. The little things that add up to convince the couple that they loved each other are borne from their crisis and chaos around them.
This movie is beautiful and heartwarming. The storyline was satisfactorily concluded in a realistic way especially the part where Luke goes ahead to serve jail sentence for fraud even though Cassie confesses before those who mattered that their marriage and love is real. Some other movie might find a way to make Luke skip the consequences of his action but life does not work like that.
I enjoyed the soundtracks. Being a pop singer, Cassie sang the songs with her heart. I understand she wrote the lyrics to some of the songs. I commend the director for interluding the storyline with stage performances by Cassie.
Some people may not like this movie because of the genre, but I adore it and rate it 4 stars out of 5. It helped me understand how the military works in the U.S. I highly recommend it.
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