Safe Haven Movie Analysis

If you love stories where the grass is quite literally greener on the other side, then you would love “Safe Haven,” directed by Lasse Hallström and written by Nicholas Sparks. This Indie film tells the story of Katie Feldman (Julianna Hough) who was running from her daunting past that caused her to change her whole identity. While on the run she decides to settle down in a touristy port town called “Southport” in North Carolina. There she meets Alex Wheatley (Josh Duhmel) and his two kids, along with the friendly townspeople who welcomed her with open arms. As well as her mysterious neighbor Jo (Cobie Smulders) who always had great advice when it came to her new friend Alex and his kids.

During the start of the movie, you see a woman frantically packing and dying her hair, on her way to a bus station. You watch as she strategically avoids security cameras, then it pans to a man who works as a detective who seems to be searching for her. Katie ends up successfully landing in Southport, now laying low she started to build a new life for herself. She got a job at their local diner, bought a house, and became close to the owner of the local grocery store owner Alex. Shortly after their first encounter she met the mysterious Jo. 

This film is great to watch if you are in for a engaging yet corny b rated film. The plotline is cliché, but that is what makes it good. This film is a drama, romance, and thriller. The message of the film was about the importance of bonds whether that was friendships or family wise, from what I could gather. That has you in a whirlwind while you’re trying to figure out what everyone's little secrets are. The film has a flashback affect where it’ll take you back to the past, as well as showing the antagonist Keven Tilmey (David Lyons) and how he tracks Katie down.

Later you figure out that Katie the trusted protagonist isn’t who you think she is. Her real name is Erin Tilmey, and the man chasing her this whole time was her husband who was abusing her. Which was why she felt like she needed to run from her old life. Although Katie alone was not the only one with a little secret. Jo, her trusted friend, ended up being the main love interest Alex’s deceased wife. The plot twist of Jo being dead was revealed at the end of the film after a dramatic scene where Katies ex-husband fought Alex and set his store ablaze. While Katie protected Alex’s kids who had warmed up to her after all that she had gone through during the film to earn their trust. Then the film ended with Alex giving Katie a letter Jo had written to Alex’s future lover. 

Even though the film had a lot of corny moments, I did enjoy the ending where Jo’s letter was read. Yet I still believe that Jo somehow speaking to her every time she walks home from work was kind of unnecessary. Jo should’ve been someone that was mentioned in the film not an ominous character within the film, it had nothing to do with the plot line. This film had a lot of those moments though, where you would get unnecessary scenes that didn’t build up the actual plotline. For that reason, I rated this film a 5/10. I loved the film because who doesn’t enjoy a cute chick flick occasionally. I just would’ve liked a thoroughly thought-out plotline because the film had immense potential.