‘Purple Hearts’ Director Elizabeth Allen Rosenbaum Made the Movie Because She Believes People Need to ‘Become More Moderate’
Purple Hearts premiered on Netflix in June 2022 and almost instantly made it to the top 10. The movie is depicted as a romantic drama with an enemies-turned-to-lovers storyline. However, the Netflix film has caught some serious flak since its debut, with many calling it out for problematic themes.
Responding to the criticism, Purple Hearts‘ director Elizabeth Allen Rosenbaum said she made the movie because she believes people need to “become more moderate.”
‘Purple Hearts’ has received tremendous backlash since its debut
The Netflix film has faced significant backlash, with many calling it out for romanticizing misogyny and racism. A Teen Vogue writer with diabetes took offense to the film’s decision to use diabetes healthcare as a trope. They wrote, “As a diabetic of nearly 20 years, I was ultimately left disappointed and deeply confused by the role the chronic illness plays in the plot.”
Others called out the film’s plotline, which involves a liberal woman shifting her views and beliefs to accommodate her racist and misogynistic fake husband. The film includes an embrace of not-so-subtle racism and to some, depicts the feminist character as pushy and controlling.
Since its release, Purple Hearts has been labeled a piece of military propaganda. One particular scene where one of the military men cheers to “hunting down some g—– Arabs,” hasn’t sat well with many people who’ve labeled the Netflix film anti-Arab, anti-Hispanic, and so on.
Purple Hearts’ director Elizabeth Allen Rosenbaum said their ‘intentions are very pure’
Since the backlash, those involved have come out to defend the movie. Rosenbaum, who directed the movie, shut down its detractors, saying Luke and Cassie “are flawed at the beginning, and that was intentional. They have both been neglected by the system.”
“I do hope that anyone who’s in any way insulted by it understands that our intentions are very pure, and it’s because we feel like people need to grow and need to start to become more moderate,” she told Variety.
‘Purple Hearts’ follows a liberal singer and a conservative Marine
Purple Hearts follows Sophia Carson’s character Cassie Salazar, a struggling musician who’s just received a Type 1 diabetes diagnosis. She rations her insulin while working several jobs but realizes that her insulin units are dwindling. Her desperation for medication influences her subsequent decisions.
She approaches her longtime friend, Frankie, a Marine proposing marriage to piggyback off his military spouse insurance. Frankie’s roommate Luke Morrow takes issue with that and calls her out for “scamming the government.” However, he takes her up on it, and they decide to enter a mutually beneficial marriage.
Cassie is depicted as a liberal Latina, while Luke is a conservative. Their political standings and opinions see them argue frequently, but they still maintain the charade. After deployment to Iraq, Frankie dies after the troops step on a landmine, while Luke returns home disabled.
This encounter changes Luke’s view of the world, and he and Cassie fall in love. Purple Hearts was released on July 29, 2022, on Netflix. It stars Carson as Cassie, Nicholas Galitzine plays Luke, and Chosen Jacobs plays Frankie. The film currently has a 29% critic rating and 70% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes.
