By Maria Perry |Staff Writer|
Author Nicholas Sparks united with Director Lasse Hallström to create a new and improved romance movie for this generation with “Safe Haven.”
Released Feb. 14, the film has ranked number three in the box office.
Based on the novel by Sparks, also the author of The Notebook, the film shows how we should be willing to set aside our experiences with past relationships in order to progress in our future ones.
Hallström directs Julianne Hough as Katie who is trying to make a new start in Southport North Carolina.
Alex, her love interest, is played by Josh Duhamel.
The villain, David Lyons, is Katie’s abusive ex-husband who works for the police.
The romance is directed towards a more mature audience due to sexual content and violence.
Although the film demonstrated the time it takes to cope with loss, the plot felt a little slow.
There were moments when I sat and thought, “Why is it taking so long? Can’t they just date already?”
The screenplay, however, was still wonderfully written with a beautiful story line. The actors were excellent at showing emotion.
Hough was really good at switching emotions, going from scared to content within minutes.
Duhamel did well at keeping the emotions contained, adding to the strength in portraying the character.
Like “The Notebook,” “Safe Haven,” has a love motif, which is coping with the obstacles we face in love and relationships.
What may be most absorbing to the viewer in “Safe Haven” is its relatability.
We have all had our heart broken by someone.
Both characters in the film have faced loss and heart break in their lives.
Hough finally finds a guy that makes her happy but she is so enveloped in her past, causing her to fear falling in love too fast and getting hurt again.
She finds comfort in a friend named Jo, played by Cobie Smulders, who attempts to push her to face her fears and realize there is no reason to be afraid.
Duhamel’s character copes with the loss of his wife to cancer.
Already having kids from the past marriage, he faces hardship with raising kids and seeing another woman besides his wife.
Alex’s daughter, Lexie, is okay with it and adjusts pretty fast, but the other son Josh, has a hard time taking it in and fears that his dad is trying to replace his mother.
This further emphasizes how people need to face their fears because if they don’t they would be stuck where they are and never move on from the past.
While Katie faces the fear of getting in a new relationship, Alex fears moving on from the loss of his wife.
They both had to push themselves to move on and face what is happening now.
Throughout the film Alex, is consistently willing to help her face the changes in her life and challenge the changes they will face as a couple.
This further emphasizes that no matter how far people run, the past will haunt them. Avoiding them won’t get rid of the problem.
All that movie watching has given you the gift of reflection, Maria.