Netflix’s Purple Hearts director responds to backlash

Purple Hearts is one of the most popular movies on Netflix right now with more than 100 million hours viewed. It tells the story of a liberal musician who marries a conservative Marine to receive health insurance benefits. Despite this, the streaming film’s director has something to say about the backlash he received.

Though Purple Hearts continues to be watched by millions, its misogynistic and racist themes have drawn criticism. Whenever a Marine toasts, “This one is to life, love, and hunting down some goddamn Arabs, baby!“, the extreme problems are glossed over.

Director Elizabeth Allen Rosenbaum defended the film to Variety stating that the flaws of the two characters were necessary for the characters to grow. Politics has a history of preventing films from succeeding. As an example, Universal pulled The Hunt from its schedule after the mass shooting at a Walmart in El Paso.

A movie about political divisions leading to violence wasn’t exactly the best time to release it. A Quiet Place, directed by John Krasinski, was also criticized by a reviewer who called it too regressive. Critics and audiences tend to pay too much attention to a film’s political context instead of its entertainment value.

On Twitter, one user said the character of the Marine stays the same while his liberal newly-wed wife changes. The movie Purple Hearts isn’t exactly subtle. Another tweet called it “anti-Arab anti-Hispanic racist misogynistic AND pro-military propaganda.”

Despite the heavy themes of Purple Heart, Rosenbaum continued by saying that the two characters’ political differences made it easier for them to grow in love, as they learned to listen to each other. Among the things to know about Purple Hearts is that the plot revolves around a songwriter struggling to afford insulin to treat her diabetes while a Marine is deployed to Iraq.

Aside from defending the movie’s portrayal of both sides as accurately as possible and its treatment of a character with Type I diabetes, Sofia Carson, the film’s female lead and executive producer, has also defended the movie’s representation of both sides as accurately as possible.

Based on Tess Wakefield’s book of the same name, this two-hour movie takes place in the present day. Purple Hearts has received backlash and a 33% Rotten Tomatoes rating, but you can see the film for yourself on Netflix whether its heavy themes are offensive or necessary for plot development. Despite that, you may want to bring tissues with you while watching.

Dakota Cameron

Dakota Cameron is a seasoned web content writer and covers the Hollywood movies for the MovieThop Website
Ms. Cameron began his professional life as a freelance blogger. Later, he worked for Witbe as a content writer for two years. His interests include blogging, reading, movies and travel.
Ms. Cameron graduated in Journalism and Mass Communication from University State of Georgia University. He is fluent in French, Spanish, and other languages.