Safe Haven has finally been released as a film. It was originally a novel by Nicolas Sparks, a bestselling author well known for The Notebook and Dear John. The master romance writer, Nicolas Sparks, attempts a new genre – romantic thriller – to grasp the hearts of the female audience. However, before its premiere, this film was given a low grade by critics. It was released on Valentine’s Day, and earned about $210,000 in its opening weekend. It continues on the reputation of the previously released box-office films: The Notebook, Dear John and The Lucky One.
The film also contains the unique romance equation typically found in Nicolas Sparks’ novels. The setting for the film is a little romantic and exotic port city, Southport, located in North Carolina. The film is about a charming love story between Alex and Katie, as well as a thriller. By itself, the beautiful scenery of nature combined with the relaxed background music make you feel like it is worth every penny. The film especially has every element that makes female audiences love this film. Alex is a widowed father who had lost his wife from cancer 2 years ago and raises their son and a daughter on his own. The film develops when a mysterious lady, Katie moves in one day. It is a love story between Katie who is being chased by police after having committed a mysterious crime from a different state and Alex who runs a convenience store and raises two kids by himself.
I would like to skip the detailed synopsis of the film. What I would like to discuss from this film is about the family issue in modern times. (Just in case, you can find the synopsis on Google.) The theme of the film is family, being a real family. As the film title suggests, Haven is the last name of Alex’s family. The Haven family is a safe haven for Katie who is constantly being chased and roaming all the time. What I felt from the movie was that Alex’s family looked so sweet. His kids are very kind and they get close to Katie quickly. As not to spoil the film, no further synopsis will be discussed. In fact, the concept of family for modern people has been rather deteriorated. It is becoming a rare case to marry someone and live happily ever after without a divorce. It is known that the world’s average divorce rate is just over 30%. In fact, it is 50% in some countries. This means one in two couples gets divorced. People nowadays tend to easily fall in love and just as quickly, get sick of it and leave each other. What would be the real meaning of the family? The film shows its true meaning: keeping, cherishing and embracing each other. It truly shows to the audience what it means to be a warm family. This meaning seems to have escaped our society.
Being a real family is unconditional: Your family is your family, no matter what – whether you have some secrets, make some mistakes or even when you disappoint or dissatisfy them, they will still be there. In today’s society, people usually cannot endure the tough times and easily leave each other even because of a small or insignificant conflict. This is not a good thing. A cold winter passed by and it is a warm spring now. Why don’t you watch this heartwarming film, Safe Haven?
