Netflix’s recently released romance Purple Hearts is in the news for all the wrong reasons. Directed by Elizabeth Allen Rosenbaum and starring Sofia Carson and Nicholas Galitzine, the film has more than 100 million hours watched on the platform and is set to join Netflix’s ranks of most-watched content.
Still, one has to wonder if this is because of the story, or the controversy surrounding it.
Purple Hearts have been criticized for promoting disturbing racist and misogynist stereotypes. One redeeming quality of the movie? It reflects America’s angry and divided reality and its treatment of people who are neither white nor male, perhaps more accurately than the filmmakers intended.
Set in Oceanside, California, the story revolves around Cathy (Carson), an aspiring singer who has diabetes and can’t afford insulin, and Luke (Galitzin), a young Marine about to be sent to Iraq for the first time. These two of him are as different as chalk and cheese. Cassie is blue to the core, touting liberalism and against misogyny and racism, while Luke is bright red, conservative, the quintessential “white patriot” and ready to fight in the Middle East.
Their first encounter crackled with mutual contempt and loathing, and things did not turn for the better after that, but they nevertheless agreed to deceive the military by marrying each other and enjoying the benefits of their marriage. This allows Cassie to cover all medical insurance, including insulin, and provide Luke with extra cash so he can pay off his debts to drug dealers.
Rosenbaum argues that Purple Hearts is about promoting moderation or moderation. It’s about her two polarizing individuals falling in love to listen to and absorb each other’s opinions. The movie got its name because when you mix red and blue, you get purple. However, the only change in perspective we see is on Cassie’s side.
Sample: A group of young Marines go to a bar and think that being a soldier qualifies them for star treatment. They see Cathy, who has no interest in dating a soldier. One of her Marines asks her. His friend (Luke) decides to try to persuade her by charm (but without her apology).
Kathy responds with acerbicness, and Luke lectures her on Twitter about fighting for people’s rights while soldiers like him go to war. , also contains a large amount of shocking racist rhetoric. One Marine said, “This is about life, love, and hunting down some damned Arabs, baby!” Oh, by the way, he mispronounces “Arab”.
Rosenbaum defends the storyline by claiming in an interview that “in order for a character to grow, they must first be flawed.” only.
The couple don’t have a meaningful conversation about why they believe what they believe, so there’s no setting for a moderate view.・I hung an American banner from my balcony next to the Matter flag. and rights are different.)
Furthermore, Cassie is a victim of America’s troubled healthcare system, while Luke is not neglected at all. He can enlist in the Marine Corps without question. increase!
Different political ideologies are not character flaws. Millions of people live together with mild to extreme political views, many of them living in families. On American television, Diane Lockhart and Kurt McVay languish on their principles in the Emmy-winning The Good Fight, marrying uncompromisingly on the ideals of Democrats and Republicans. Like the content of Madame Secretary, their portrayal is a lesson in moderation. In Purple Hearts, by contrast, the frequent evoking of dangerous sexist and racist stereotypes seems almost propaganda without addressing them at all.
Worse? This is after the U.S. military apparently sanitized the content to make the Marines look better. We need to question where we draw the boundaries.
There are many things to criticize about this movie. It sets out to make a political statement, which is so wrong. It doesn’t address any of the complex socio-political issues raised through its characters. It just leaves viewers with disturbing rhetoric that looks like a reckless ploy to provoke controversy rather than further conversation.
But Purple Hearts’ remarkable success unintentionally serves as a mirror of America today, reflecting a pervasive and disturbing prejudice. That alone is worth noting.
The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial attitude of Al Jazeera.
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