The Love Letter

In this enjoyable inspirational romance from Hauck (The Wedding Dress), an actress with a history of doomed love gets cast in a role that might lead her to a happy ending. Screenwriter Jesse Gates wrote Bound by Love based on a love letter written by his colonial ancestor, Hamilton Lightfoot. When Chloe Daschle is cast as Hamilton’s lover, Esther, she immediately identifies with her role as “a girl looking for love who doesn’t believe she’s worthy.” Chloe has dreams of marriage, but has been burned badly by love and is dealing with the humiliation of a viral video of her getting into a scuffle. While Chloe finds that her Christian faith helps her overcome her past traumas, Jesse struggles to make peace with his own failed relationships. In a parallel but less well-rounded story line, the original Hamilton and Esther are in love during the Revolutionary War, but Hamilton is fighting for the Rebels, while Esther’s father is a staunch Loyalist who has forbidden their relationship. Jesse and Chloe rewrite Hamilton and Esther’s history on screen and their relationship strengthens as reenacting the story helps them reconsider their ideas about a perfect ending. Hauck cleverly uses the movie to bring historical flourishes to a strong story about overcoming mistakes through faith and commitment. [em](June) [/em]