Dear John (2010)

Dear John (2010) is a romantic war drama film directed by Lasse Hallström, based on Nicholas Sparks’ novel of the same name. While serving in the United States Army Special Forces in 2003, Staff Sergeant John Tyree gets shot in Afghanistan. In a voice-over, he reflects on visiting the U.S. Mint as a child and compares himself to a coin in the military before remembering that his last thought before passing out was of someone special. Two years prior, during Spring of 2001, John takes leave in Charleston, South Carolina and meets Savannah Curtis. She is a college student dedicating her spring break to building homes with Habitat for Humanity. At a bonfire party she invites him to, he meets Tim, her neighbor, and Tim’s son Alan who has autism. As they spend time together over the next two weeks, their relationship blossoms into love. Savannah also meets John’s father who is preoccupied with his coin collection.

Savannah informs John that his father may share similarities with Alan, Tim’s son who has Asperger’s syndrome. A distraught John storms off and gets caught up in a physical altercation, accidentally injuring Tim and causing a rift between them. After witnessing the chaos, Savannah stops communicating with John. Later on, John apologizes to Tim and he offers to pass along a message to Savannah. She then pays John a final visit before his departure from the Army. Before saying their goodbyes, they vow to maintain their connection through letters and promise complete honesty with each other. The couple makes plans for a future together once John completes his military service. However, the September 11 attacks occur and John’s unit requests an extended deployment, leading to years of separation between him and Savannah.