Dear John

Find that familiar? Well, it is how we usually start our letters, especially to someone we care or love. And today, I find myself endeared to the movie I have just watched - Dear John.

It is a simple love story about a soldier who falls in love with a college student whom he got to know by rescuing her bag that had fallen into the ocean. He is a man who does not reveal much about himself, but love changes all. She is a woman who is unafraid to love, to reach out to autistic people. In two weeks, they found love but only to be torn apart by their own commitments, John had to return to the army and Savannah, back to college. Their love is continued by the numerous letters written to one another, through the letters, Savannah learns more about John and his autistic father and the reason why John's father fell in love with collecting coins.

John have to decide between re-enlisting for the army or staying behind with Savannah after the September 11 attacks. Torn between his sense of duty and love of his life, he makes the decision of re-enlisting after Savannah encourages him to do what he thinks is right. As the days passed by, John lives only to read Savannah's letters, gaining strength and hope from them. But loneliness pushed Savannah towards Tim, a man with an autistic child, Alan, whom Savannah had known for a long time. She finally writes a 'Dear John Letter', John receives the letter not knowing who the third party was. Feeling disheartened and frustrated, he burned all the letters from Savannah which were once his source of hope and life. During a mission, John was shot twice and the last person he thought of was his father which he had never been able to connect with. But upon reading the letter that he wrote to his father at his deathbed, they were able to understand and reach out to one another one last time.

John finally finds out who Savannah married, and instead of hating them. He donated the money he got out of selling his father's coin collection to them anonymously, enabling Tim who had cancer to spend his last months with Savannah and his son.

The movie had a simple plot but the chemistry between the two main characters are amazing, it brings you into their world, feeling their joy when they fell in love, the heartache of parting, their happiness of seeing one another again at the very end and feelings behind "I will see you soon...". It is one great love story...