When I was growing up, my favorite movie was 'Somewhere in Time'

The confession of Scott Michael Foster—“When I was growing up, my favorite movie was Somewhere in Time with Christopher Reeve, which is a hugely romantic, sappy movie. I couldn't understand it when the guy didn't get the girl or the girl didn't get the guy in love stories. I was definitely a sap”—is more than a recollection of youthful taste. It is a window into the tender heart of humankind, a heart that longs for completion, that aches when love is left unfulfilled, and that finds solace in tales where longing meets resolution. His words remind us that to be a sap is not weakness, but the natural condition of those who dare to feel deeply, who dare to believe in the triumphant destiny of love.

The origin of this sentiment lies in the innocence of youth, when the world still seems pure and uncorrupted, when stories of love are expected to conclude with joy, and when sorrow in romance feels unbearable and strange. For a child or a young dreamer, love is not meant to fracture or fail—it is meant to heal, to unite, to crown the story with harmony. Thus Foster’s bewilderment at tragedies in love stories reflects the ancient desire of the human spirit: that two souls destined for each other should never be torn apart. To call oneself a sap in this sense is to admit to a heart that refuses cynicism, a heart still fresh with hope.

Consider the story of the great poet John Keats, whose brief life was marked by passionate love for Fanny Brawne. Though his affection was returned, fate was cruel: illness carried him away before marriage could bind them together. Keats’s letters reveal the same yearning Foster speaks of—the disbelief that love, once found, could end in separation. And yet, though tragedy struck, Keats’s words endure, proving that love’s power transcends even the borders of death. His story, like Somewhere in Time, whispers to us that even when the lovers are divided, the truth of their connection is eternal.

This is the paradox of romance: it both elevates and wounds. To yearn for the happy ending is to seek the eternal order, the belief that the universe itself desires the union of kindred souls. But life, in its imperfection, often denies this harmony. The ancients told tragedies—of Orpheus and Eurydice, of Tristan and Isolde—not to mock love, but to teach that love’s very fragility is what makes it precious. When Foster declares he “couldn’t understand it,” he joins the chorus of countless hearts across history who have resisted the idea that love could fail.

What lesson, then, may be taken? It is this: to be tender-hearted, to be a “sap,” is no shame. It is to resist the hardness of a world that has grown weary of believing in happy endings. It is better to love foolishly and hope greatly than to guard the heart so tightly that it never tastes sweetness. Those who embrace stories of romance, even sappy ones, cultivate within themselves the courage to yearn, and yearning is the root of every great achievement.

In practice, let each soul choose to nurture this openness. Do not despise yourself if you cry at a love story, or if you long for the reunion of separated lovers. Instead, let this longing inspire you to love more deeply in your own life. Write letters, speak words of affection, fight for the relationships that matter most to you. And when love is lost, let your heart break openly, for in that breaking, you join the eternal human lineage of those who have dared to care.

Thus, Foster’s reflection becomes a teaching: do not fear the softness of your heart. To be “a sap” is to be alive, to believe still in the golden thread of destiny that ties lovers together. The world may scoff at sentiment, but the wise know that sentiment is the soil where compassion, devotion, and truth take root. Carry this lesson forward—cherish your longing, honor your tenderness, and never stop believing in the victory of love’s story, even when the tale seems unfinished.

For in the end, it is not cynicism but hope that carves monuments into eternity. And the heart that dares to love foolishly is the heart that becomes immortal.