Dear John

The perpetrator of chick flicks that always round up as the ultimate tearjerkers. The guy who pulls on the right heart strings in every girl. Says the right words that create not only ripples but massive waves in the ocean of ever so sensitive emotions of women. Paints heart-wrenching moments as vivid as a picture set in a clear blue sky,only, it's not meant to elate, but to draw to the surface heaps of those deep-seated despair and hopelessness in terms of finding that one true love entrenched in all of us.

When it comes to stories that fulfill the promise of relatability with the matters of the heart, Nicholas Sparks often over delivers and goes beyond run-of-the-mill romance novels.

Last time I read a Nicholas Sparks novel, I wept. No, I wailed!

I wailed till my eyes were fiery red leaving it puffy the next morning. Wondering what I read? It's The Notebook. His first novel which I am quite positive that no one among my readers would contest to not be a phenomenal tearjerker.

In the case of Dear John, as usual the book is always better. But then Amanda Seyfried + Channing Tatum together is simply a feast to the eyes for me to pass on, that I just had to convert my full blast entry into a photo post.

Remember how much I raved about Blue Valentine as a movie depicting reality among married couples who reach their horrid demise? Dear John roughly falls within the same category. Showcasing the very reality of excitement,  dilemma, and hope among couples who embark on a long-distance relationship(LDR).

While LDRs show enough promise that it actually deludes so many youngsters on jumping into it head on, clueless, idealistic and positive that they could emerge from it victoriously conquering the monster that is longing. Truth is, it almost rarely happens in the harsh world called reality. 

Despite the burning passion and pacts of picture-perfect future together, Savannah Curtis' two-week, whirlwind love affair  with military sergeant John Tyree ends bittersweet. As John gave premium to the salvation of his soul in doing what is right, than giving in to the urge of winning Savannah back and ruining a what would have been happy, albeit misfortune-stricken marriage.

The story above all respects showed how distance, whether we agree to it or not, plays a definitive role in every relationship thereby shaping which directions it is bound to go. To go abloom or to wane.

I am absolutely enamored with John Tyree. He's too receptive, not to mention, romantic for words. At the risk of sounding biased, this is perhaps the best movie to have given me a good perspective on how men generally deal with matters of the heart -in a certain level of disquiet and exclusivity that is nearly impossible to sense.

If you're gonna ask whether the book made me cry? The answer would be yes.

If you're gonna follow it up 'how about the movie?' However disappointed I was with the striking changes that they adapted to the film, I still cried on certain scenes. Particularly, when John confronted Savannah about not even bothering to seek his assent on their breakup. It made me weep like a child, for it was too real. Too real that I once did it myself in the past and ended up regretting it until this day.

Catastrophically real, that book was.

Even though a part of me sympathizes with John's searing pain upon the choices made by Savannah for their relationship, another half of my heart goes for Savannah. Understanding why she wished to move on with her life and carve new destinies while in reality, she barely touched her fate nor changed her heart may quite be foolish, mental even. But being in a LDR myself, I can say that sometimes we cannot help but wonder what it was like to not choose the off-beaten path and just go with the flow like everyone else.

It's perfectly human. Wondering, you know.

But the moment that we feel certain that we wanted to break free from the relationship, fear of the unknown washes whatever bravado we boast of and the next thing we know we find ourselves whimpering back to the knees of our beloved. Okay, this part didn't really happen in the story. That's a personal reflection of sorts.  

Ultimately, it's a film for people who's long been seeking for the answer 'what is true love?' if you have watched it and still have no idea what the heck it truly was at the core, then you might wanna pay a visit to the nearest sanitarium; for something IS definitely wrong you.