The Vow

Life is all about moments of impact and how they change our lives forever. But what if one day you could no longer remember any of them? Can a once in a lifetime love find a second chance?

The Vow is a romantic drama film directed by Michael Sucsy released in 2012. The film begins when Paige Collins (Rachel McAdams) and her husband Leo (Channing Tatum) come out of a movie theater, on their way driving home, a truck rams their car from behind and Paige crashes through the windshield. When Paige regains consciousness in the hospital, she has lost all her memories of the past few years and thinks Leo is her doctor. Later her parents learn about the accident and come to visit her and it is for the first time that Leo meets them. From going back to being a stranger, Leo works to win Paige's heart all over again, through all the obstacles and heart pain in this heart-warming tale of love and second chances.

It may looks like another Hollywood romance film but the film is based on the actual relationship of a real couple, Kim and Krickitt Carpenter who endured the same terrible tragedy that Paige and Leo did in the movie. In 1993 (ten weeks after their wedding), Kim and Krickitt Carpenter were in an automobile accident in which Krickitt suffered brain trauma, which erased memories of her past eighteen months of her life all of which included Kim. Kim, however, refused to give up and continued to show Krickitt his love, although she viewed him as a stranger after the accident. On May 25, 1996, their faith in Jesus and their wedding vows before God kept them together again and they are now a happily married couple living in New Mexico with two kids.

Marriage vows are sacred promises a couple makes to each other during a wedding ceremony. Today, many couples see the wordings 'till death do us part' in the marriage vow as 'till we love and live together', hence they only fulfill their promises as long as they love and stay with one another. As I re-watched the film again and the real story of Kim and Krickitt Carpenter, marriage vow is not only on a promise to one another until one (or both) is dead but a life long unconditional commitment to each other in all adversity (even when it is against you) as well, just like what Leo said in the film, "I vow to love you and no matter what challenges might carry us apart, we will always find a way back to each other."

To have and to hold, from this day forward, 

for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness or in health, 

to love and to cherish till death do us part.

Movie Trailer: