Purple Hearts: The Only Movie Capable of Critiquing Both Ends of the Political Spectrum.
The summer has flown by and soon enough it’ll be spooky season. Come the fall months, means spending less time in the sun and more time in front of your TV, cuddled up with cozy movies.
Fall time is a huge month for horror and Halloween flicks, but if you’re into it, it’s also a perfect time to indulge in a feel-good romance movie. Netflix, Hulu and reruns carry endless numbers of classics to cry to, but people keep trying their hand at curating the perfect slow burn. The new Netflix film, “Purple Hearts” is your typical romance movie weaving in redundant themes like military love and emotional musicians. However, the film has a unique twist to it, a twist we see all too often in our media today.
Politicizing “Purple Hearts”
If you haven’t taken the chance to watch the two-hour movie released July 29, 2022, featuring Disney star Sophia Carson and Nicholas Galitzine, the movie at its core is about two people using the military spousal system to their benefit—illegally of course—but eventually form a real love.
The movie includes typical themes we see in media depicting the military: war, death, enlisting, deployment and of course, American pride. However, seeing as the main character, Cassie (Sophia Carson), is a first-generation immigrant struggling with finances, a huge critique of the American healthcare system and what her love interest, Luke (Nicholas Galitzine), refers to as a “lib,” this is not your stereotypical romance movie.
A lot of dialogue between Luke and Cassie involves their disagreement with their perception of what it means to be American and what their political values are. Pulling up to her place for the first time, the troubled Marine was confronted with political flags often associated with the Democratic party.
They argue about the values that America is founded upon. Not only do they eventually begin to see eye-to-eye but as they fall in love, they also mend together their differences. Cassie’s flag collection outside her “cheap” apartment in Southern California (we say this with irony because a penthouse apartment complete with a screened-in music room and balcony is anything but cheap, especially in SoCal) begins to grow, including the American flag and a “Welcome Home” flag. The bridge between two different political spectrums is a symbolism of their love and no doubt, a message to viewers across America.
The Narrative Around Marines
Even though the movie is heavily influenced by stereotypes of opposing extremes on the political spectrum in the United States, “Purple Hearts” also goes into the stereotype of certain military branches. Specifically, the United States Marines Corps.
“Purple Hearts” makes a point, more so at the beginning of the film, to point out the “civilian” perspective of the Marines. Cassie and her friends work as waitresses as a bar, so when the Marines come into the bar, they have nothing but disdain for the “animal-like” soldiers.
This stereotype that Marines are drunks that sexually harass women and act like children is a stereotype perpetrated by many people who live in areas with bases holding Marine soldiers like areas in California and Hawaii. However, as the film progresses and you see the character development of Luke and his fellow Marines like Frankie (Chosen Jacobs), that stereotype is greatly disproven.
Cassie and Luke are used as examples that oftentimes our beliefs and “labels” do not define our character or who we are as people.
“Purple Hearts” Romancing the Non-Romantic Side of the Military
Although the movie is quite sappy and will leave you longing for a romance like Cassie’s and Luke’s, there are parts that shine light on the not-so-romantic side of the military.
This pretty much goes without saying, but the entertainment industry does a “great job” glamorizing, sexualizing and romanticizing the military and what they do. Movies paint soldiers as these handsome, strong men that women should long be with. However, the military serves the country by sacrificing their own lives and sometimes, greatly affecting the lives of their loved ones.
Even some members of the military spouse community have spoken about how the movie inaccurately portrays the trials and ugliness of having a loved one serve.
The Marines are deployed to Iraq in this movie, showcasing the dangers, fear and sacrifice that comes with serving your country. Luke suffers an injury and must come home, this being the catalyst for sparking romance and true marriage between Cassie and Luke. As we know, Luke is among the “luckier” ones, as in the movie, some other soldiers suffer in irreversible ways and so does their significant others.
There can be some critique said about the romanticizing of the military and war, as there is quite literally nothing romantic about it. However, we can learn how to deeper understand and appreciate our soldiers by seeing the raw side of what our soldiers do overseas and how they sacrifice their selves to allow us back home the liberties and safeties we enjoy; Much like Cassie did.
Who knows, it might be films like “Purple Hearts” that show us there are ways to find similarities among our vast differences to lead to a world with more peace and less war. However, we warn you, don’t go into this movie expecting any accuracies or authentic role playing beyond a simple, indulgent chick-flick.
