Safe Haven (2013)

Safe Haven (2013) is an American romantic fantasy drama thriller film starring Julianne Hough, Josh Duhamel and Cobie Smulders. After fleeing to her older neighbor’s house for refuge, a panicked Erin takes drastic measures to change her appearance before arriving at a bus station. Despite being pursued by the police, she boards a bus and makes her way to Southport, North Carolina. There, she adopts the name Katie, secures employment as a waitress, and rents a modest home on the outskirts of town. Katie quickly forms a bond with her kind neighbor Jo and crosses paths with Alex Wheatley, who runs the local general store. As the widowed father of two young children – Josh and Lexie – Alex struggles to connect with his son while juggling his business and family responsibilities.

Katie forms a relationship with Alex, taking on a motherly role for Josh and Lexie. Meanwhile, Boston detective Kevin Tierney creates wanted posters for ‘Erin’, who is accused of murder. Alex notices the striking resemblance between ‘Erin’ and Katie in the police station, leading to a confrontation and an eventual break-up. As she prepares to leave town, Alex stops her and confesses his love, urging her to stay and promising to protect her. After much hesitation, Katie reciprocates his feelings and decides to remain in Southport (though still concerned about the safety of Alex’s family). She also reveals that she escaped there to flee from her abusive and alcoholic cop husband.