In my opinion, one of the most important things about a movie is finding something to. It doesn’t matter what type of movie it is, if the viewer doesn’t find a way to relate to it, therefore allowing you to escape reality and go all in. Movies are meant to transport you to another place.
You’re supposed to be able to set life aside for a bit and be in a different world. At least that’s me when I watch a movie.
I need to feel the movie and not think about real life. And one of those movies that allowed me not to think about real life and be transported away from my issues, was Purple Hearts. I was lost in a love story.
It turns out that is something director Elizabeth Allen Rosenbaum wanted. Actually it’s exactly what she wanted people to take away from the movie. How do I know? Well, I asked her.
“I guess what I am really hoping, that ppl can just let go and enjoy the admitted fantasy of people who are so different and from opposite walks of life and opposite sides of the aisle, actually learning to listen and compromise and meet in the middle.” she said when I asked about what she hopes that people take away from the movie, “Because it is a fantasy but I think it’s what the world needs. I hope people let go and embrace them.”
If you haven’t seen Purple Hearts, we do suggest you watch it ASAP. The movie, which is streaming on Netflix is about, “In spite of their many differences, Cassie (@sofiacarson), a struggling singer-songwriter, and Luke (@nicholasgalitzine), a troubled marine, agree to marry solely for military benefits. But when tragedy strikes, the line between real and pretend begins to blur. Directed by Elizabeth Allen Rosenbaum (@thisislizallen).”
Talking to Elizabeth Allen Rosenbaum is a treat, because she is invested in her projects. She doesn’t do projects to do them, she does them because she loves them. You can just tell. She’s very passionate about getting the story right, but also being true to the characters in the story.
One thing I loved about the movie was it was reminding you that everyone has different points of view and you have to learn to love ppl beyond their differences. I asked her if that was something I was reading into or something she meant to convey.
“I’m so glad you read into it. That was the whole reason why I wanted to make the movie.” she said.
One aspect that was really important for her to get right, was the military aspect. One of her close friends had joined the military out of high school and her Grandfather was a Navy Admiral. But she admits they got lucky with the addition of James Deaver.
If you haven’t heard of him – well, lets say that his military resume is quite robust. He had a 25 year career in the Marines and in 1986 was picked by the Marine’s to consult Clint Eastwood on the film “Heartbreak Ridge.”
Talk about a change. He’s done big projects such as American Sniper, Wandavision, Westworld, Iron Fist, and The Punisher. Dever and his team have contributed to more than 115 projects worldwide.
So definitely, having him on the project was a great thing.
“We had a tight prep so we brought in a secret weapon – we brought in this guy, James Deaver. I was really surprised that he would do a movie like ours because he does like all Clint Eastwood‘s movies and he’s a former marine.” Elizabeth said, “Everything was filtered through him. On set, when I am doing patrols in Iraq and his guys would come and they are all former marines. They know the formations and exactly what to do. And they also help a lot with the lead actors.”
She continued, “I was very lucky because the Pentagon is pretty tough on scripts and we got rejected, which I have had happen before on other projects, with a military element. But then James Deaver sent it through different channels and I guess they reassessed it and gave us a thumbs up so we were allowed to take our lead and shoot within Camp Pendleton for a full day using all real marines.”
That means the scenes where Luke is training and other various scenes were shot at Camp Pendleton, bringing an authenticity to the character and the film.
Even she said, “It was a great way to jump into the authenticity really quickly.”
Of course, part of what we wanted to know about was that ending – the self sacrifice that Luke made to ensure that Cassie didn’t get in trouble for their scheme. Why would he do that? Sure, I knew it was because of his love for her, but I definitely wanted to know more.
“One of my favorite movies, because I am a big sap is titanic and my favorite book is tale of 2 cities. And both of those have this big cathartic moment where the protagonist sacrifices himself for the woman he loves. I thought that was such a beautiful gesture because that’s love, putting other people before yourself.” she said.
She continued, “That’s what he believes love is. I think no one has ever made a gesture like that for her in her life.”
It’s definitely what I believe that love is too, so I appreciated the way that the self sacrifice transferred to the screen.
Purple Hearts is streaming now. You can read our review of it HERE.
Also read the other half of our interview with Elizabeth here.