In Purple Hearts, we meet aspiring musician Cassie (Sofia Carson), who marries US Marine Luke (Nicholas Galitzine) for health benefits. Despite coming from different backgrounds and political beliefs, the young couple eventually realizes that there’s more that unites than divides them. Although this is a fictional love story, the inspiration behind the romance —and the film’s plot — is true for many.
What exactly is a military contract marriage? As the film portrays, it’s the practice of a service member marrying for additional benefits. They’ll receive an increased allowance as Luke does in the film, and the spouse will get additional health benefits, just like Cassie. Although this sounds like a sweet gig, it’s considered fraudulent and can result in the prosecution of both the service member and their spouse.
Purple Hearts also references other aspects of the military. The title itself is an ode to the medal of solemn distinction presented to US military members injured or killed in the line of duty.
This article explores the origin of Purple Hearts.
Purple Hearts Is Based On A Novel
Netflix's Purple Hearts has proven a huge success, despite having only been on the streaming platform for a few days since July 29th.
The romantic movie is based on the 2017 novel by Tess Wakefield and tells the story of Luke, a troubled Marine, who marries Cassie, a struggling singer-songwriter. In the film, the couple agrees to wed solely for military benefits, however, Luke gets injured in Iraq, and this blurs the lines between pretend romance and real life.
The film is directed by Elizabeth Allen Rosenbaum. It is an incredibly romantic movie, similar to the likes of Dear John, Allied, and Atonement. Unfortunately, fans will be disappointed to know that the film is not based on a true story. It is based on Tess Wakefield's novel, Purple Hearts.
According to the movie and TV news website The Cinemaholic, whilst Wakefield's book is fictional, she thoroughly researched the issues of addiction as well as the structural problems of U.S healthcare, to make Luke's history of substance abuse as close to reality as possible.
She also delved into music theory and the illness of diabetes, to accurately portray Cassie's struggles.
Where Was Purple Hearts Filmed?
‘Purple Hearts’ was filmed in California and Texas, specifically in Los Angeles County, San Diego County, Riverside, and Austin. The principal photography for the Netflix movie commenced in August 2021 and wrapped up in October of the same year. Now, without further ado, let’s glance at the actual locations where Luke and Cassie’s fake marriage transpires on-screen!
Many pivotal sequences for ‘Purple Hearts’ were lensed in Los Angeles County, the most populous county in California and the US. The scene involving Cassie’s concert was taped in the famous amphitheater, Hollywood Bowl, located at 2301 North Highland Avenue in the Hollywood Hills neighborhood of Los Angeles. Sofia Carson, who plays Cassie, told Netflix that it would be an understatement to say that performing at the Hollywood Bowl was surreal.
Some pivotal portions of ‘Purple Hearts’ were recorded in San Diego County, the second most populous county in California, located in the southwestern corner of the Golden State. In particular, Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton at 20250 Vandegrift Boulevard in Oceanside is where many marine-related sequences were shot. Interestingly, the movie is set in the coastal city of Oceanside; hence, the portions lensed there add authenticity to the scenes.
Other locations include Austin, Texas, and Riverside, California.
Why Is There An Emphasis On Music In The Film?
While Purple Hearts relies on a lot of drama and other romance tropes to keep things going, music also plays an important role in it. Cassie wants to be a singer, and she tells Luke that ever since she was little, she learned to express her emotions through songs. So, when she doesn’t express her real feelings for Luke, she lets it out in the form of the songs that she writes with him in mind. These songs were co-written by Sofia Carson, who plays Cassie, and she also sings them for the movie.
The most heartfelt song in ‘Purple Hearts’ is Come Back Home, which Cassie writes for Luke and other soldiers who are overseas, away from their loved ones. This song uplifts everyone’s spirits, and also leads Cassie and her band to be recognized by listeners. Later, Cassie writes another song for Luke, called I Hate the Way. It starts out as a bubbly love song but becomes emotionally heavy when Cassie sings it at Hollywood Bowl while realizing that she is in love with Luke.
Purple Hearts on Netflix is currently rated as one of the best Netflix original love stories, the film is currently at 1.4B views and counting.
