Editor’s Note: This review contains spoilers
Purple Hearts (2022) is a young adult romantic drama film capturing all the viewers’ hearts. An aspiring musician agrees to a marriage of convenience with a soon-to-deploy Marine, but a tragedy soon turns their fake relationship all too real.
Viewers see some representation of women of color, as Sofia Carson, a Latina actress, plays the main female role of Cassie. Many viewers recognize Sofia Carson from her starring role as Evie in the Descendants movie series.
Sofia Carson sings her lead song “Come Back Home”, played in the key of G major. Viewers find her song “Come Back Home” relevant to the topic of romance in Purple Hearts; she describes her lead single as a song that captures the soul, tenderness, and vulnerability of romantic drama. The stripped version of the lead single takes place at the beach in Oceanside, California, just outside the gates of Camp Pendleton. Camp Pendleton is a major West Coast base of the Marine Corps. The setting of the filming is relevant to the scenes in Purple Hearts, which focus on the military. In fact, Cassie performs “Come Back Home” in front of the Marines.
Luke Morrow (Nicholas Galitzine), Cassie’s “husband”, is part of the Marines leaving for Iraq. He has his own set of difficulties: he became an addict after his mom’s death, and although two years clean, he still owes $15,000 to his dealer, Johnno. Luke believes if he comes closer to Cassie, then they will get married and Cassie will have access to military spouse healthcare since he is serving in the Marines.
There are a lot of symbols in Purple Hearts. For one, the ring symbolizes the commitment to marriage. Marriage is the main conflict of the romantic drama, as there are a lot of aspects that come with marriage such as financial stability. Viewers can tell something is wrong when the marriage becomes tense, as shown in many scenes. Also, the film’s title, Purple Hearts, foreshadows the climax; the title references a military decoration for those wounded or killed in action during the war.
When Luke is on the battlefield, scenes shift between Cassie performing “Come Back Home” and him in the military base. The scene prior to Luke’s wounding is dark, with the sun shining dimly in the sky. This symbolizes uncertainty and a suspense vibe. All is quiet until a bang is heard off-screen.
Peaches, the golden retriever dog, is a supporting character who aids Luke in his recovery after he gets wounded. She is a dog Cassie adopted midway through the film. The conclusion shows viewers how Cassie and Luke stay together as a happy couple with Peaches by their side six months later.
Overall, Purple Hearts is focused on the military while having some representation of a Latina.
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