Real-Life Military Wives Respond to Netflix’s New Romance Movie purple hearts. purple hearts is directed by Elizabeth Allen Rosenbaum, who has directed films such as Blue green and Ramona and Beezusas well as his fair share of works in the world of television, including two episodes of dead to me in 2020. purple hearts stars Sofia Carson of The descendants series and Nicholas Galitzine, who will soon play the role of Prince Henry in the next Red White & Royal blue movie adaptation.
While a romantic drama, purple hearts doesn’t have the most conventional of plots. Instead of being bound by a grand romance, her two sons are drawn to marriage not for their undying affection, but for the benefit of military advantage. In purple hearts, Cassie, played by Carson, is a singer-songwriter struggling to make her way, and her counterpart, Luke, is a Marine. The two agree to marry purely for military benefits, but that platonic line becomes murky when tragedy strikes. So far, the Netflix movie has received largely negative reviews from critics.
According to an article by Todayseveral real military spouses were disappointed purple hearts because of the feelings that it glorified their experience. Army wife Emma Tighe wrote a Facebook post criticizing the film’s poster, which shows the two main characters saying goodbye in a romantic moment, as unrealistic. She then painted a picture of various scenarios that could occur when a spouse goes through the heartache of sending their partner to war. Tighe’s post prompted comments from other military wives. Check out Tighe’s post below:
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After seeing the full film, Tighe explained:
I did not want [Purple Hearts] epitomizes the military spouse experience, but to be fair, that’s not what it’s about. It’s good for what it is, a girl’s movie, but I wouldn’t recommend it.
Maxine Clegg, a military spouse from Texas, commented:
It’s almost like your marriage is turning off two days before it rolls out. They spend those few days before leaving packing and going through their checklists, and you’re not on that. It is a whole.
Bailey Cummins, another military spouse who currently lives with her family in Germany, had a different view:
Every military spouse is different, so their experiences will also be different. The really sad reality is that many spouses marry for benefits – maybe not a contractual marriage like in the movie, but choosing to marry someone they have a connection to faster than normal because of things like needing health insurance or wanting to live together but the soldier is enlisted and can’t leave the barracks unless they’re married.
These responses demonstrate that the experience of a military spouse is nuanced and multifaceted. Whereas, as Cummins puts it, “every military spouse is different,“It seems clear from the overwhelming reviews that purple hearts does not represent the number of military spouses who experience deployments from their partners. Cassie is dolled up as she sends Luke into battle, complete with perfect hair and makeup. Although some military spouses experience it this way, many cannot afford to dress for such a heartbreaking occasion.
With this answer, it seems that purple hearts may not resonate with either critics or those who could theoretically relate to it a bit more. It is surprising that purple hearts is so blatantly inaccurate in this regard. You’d think military wives might be a target audience for a slot in this film, given the emphasis on plot. With the backlash, it’s possible that military spouses weren’t consulted, or at least not interviewed more broadly in the process of writing and filming. purple hearts. Perhaps this response can serve as a lesson to future filmmakers working on military-related projects and encourage them to consult more members of the affected community.
Source: Today, Emma Tighe
