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In Star Wars: The Force Awakens, there are a lot of intense emotional scenes between Rey and Finn, especially at the end of the movie. But it's not clear if this is supposed to be a romantic subplot or if they are just bonding from the intense circumstances.
Is there any evidence, one way or the other, than the filmmakers intended to portray this relationship as Rey and Finn falling in love?
John Boyega (Finn) cleared this up in an interview with Variety when they said they liked the romance between the two.
I loved the developing romance between your character, Finn and Rey in “The Force Awakens.” How is that romance evolving in the next chapter?
Boyega: I mean, we didn’t establish a romance in seven; we never played it that way. Daisy and I, we’re friends.
So there’s no romance?
Boyega: Yes, Finn and Rey – they’re just friends. Finn is a storm trooper, so he doesn’t really know what’s going on. So the romance thing is something that’s going to be interesting in the next installment. It’s not going to go the way you think it’s going to go.
Interestingly, his comments leave room for a possible romance between them in the future (if you don't believe the rumors about Finn and Poe)
In The Force Awakens, Rey and Finn have only known each other for a few days. It's therefore unlikely that they have extremely developed feelings toward each other, though this may happen in time.
However, at the end of The Force Awakens, Rey does kiss Finn on the forehead.
A NEW DAY.
Finn, unconscious in an I.C.U. POD. His fate uncertain. Rey sits with him. Deeply worried. Finally she leans in, close to him. She kisses him and says, quietly, despite her fear:
REY: We'll see each other again. I believe that. Thank you, my friend.
This certainly is evidence pointing to Rey having feelings for Finn, but it is (a) not necessarily the case that those are romantic and (b) doesn't mean that they are (yet) in love.
However, all said, there is simply not enough evidence in The Force Awakens to conclude that Finn and Rey are in love, or indeed that either one of them has romantic feelings for the other
That said, in my personal opinion, it is quite likely that this relationship will develop into something more.
Rey and Poe might be sharing a relationship of some sort in Episode VIII. This could be understood as Rian Johnson will be steering into new territory for the cinematic universe. It could be interesting due to character dynamic seeming odd. Rey and Poe act as two piviotal sentinels who would be a good option to open new pathways to. Below includes dialogue that was cut from the theatrical release of 'The Force Awakens' but was present in the film novelization;
Rey and Poe were not excluded, though their sudden, tight clinch of shared excitement led to a moment of mutual awkwardness. “Uh, hi,” the pilot mumbled. “I’m Poe.”
She nodded slowly, searching his face and finding that she liked it. “I recognize the name. So you’re Poe. Poe Dameron, the X-wing pilot. I’m Rey.”
“I know.” He smiled back, a little more at ease. “Nice to meet you.”
The context in which the novelization explains the interaction can not be expanded much as one might interpret the character's relationship differently. For example, if the deleted clip was still in the final cut, the scene could have acted as comedic relief based on the words, tight clinch of shared excitement led to a moment of mutual awkwardness. Overall depending on how the actors' delivery of lines impacted the audiences thoughts.
Relating back to the plausibility of Finn and Rey sharing a romance, John Boyega has denied this by saying that they are only friends at the moment and that Episode VII was never meant to give off the impression of a relationship beginning to rise, but this allows for new ways of further bonding in later installments.
