I’ve been on a surf movie kick lately. I watched in the past week “North Shore” and “Blue Crush” and then yesterday my wife and I went to see “Soul Surfer” – the new film based on the real-life story of a young Hawaiian surfer, with talent and dreams of going pro, who suffers a massive setback when a 13-foot tiger shark attacks, taking her arm.
The film is based on the life of Bethany Hamilton, who was just 13 when she lost her arm, but through sheer heart and force of will, managed to continue her surfing career.
When we walked into the cinema to find we were two of only a handful of adults – the theatre was a sea of 12-year-old girls – I was immediately worried that this would be a teen girl-power flick with nothing to offer anyone else.
And there was definitely some of that. The entire story hinges on the girl’s faith, strength of will and fighting spirit to come back from a life-altering moment that would have crushed most people.
But there’s something in this story for everyone. For one, the surfing is incredible, right up there with some of the best mainstream surfing films I’ve seen.
And though this story had the potential to be dripping with cheese – “somewhere between cheddar and jalapeno jack,” as one of the characters says, it wasn’t.
The incident itself is played out with the grim horror one would expect, her family’s struggle to deal with the changes in Bethany’s life – and their own – are all handled carefully and realistically, and AnnaSophia Robb does a respectable job in the role.
But at the core of the story is the girl’s faith. Before the incident, during her recovery and as she begins to return to normal life, it’s the leash that keeps her firmly anchored amid the swell.
Her mentor, played by country singer Carrie Underwood, tells her amid a deep moment of doubt, that though she doesn’t understand now why she has been put through such a trial, someday, with broader perspective, she will. And of course, eventually, she does.
This movie takes the best of “Blue Crush” – a story of girl-power and chasing your dreams at all costs, and “North Shore” – a film about taking risks and venturing out of your comfort zone to figure out who you are – and combines them. But it adds in the elements of faith and family and the amazing fact that this is a true story about a girl who never let go of her dreams despite a crippling injury that would have destroyed many other people.
It also includes a last-minute cameo from Turtle, one of the main characters in “North Shore” – which makes it even better.
If you do see this film – and trust me, I realize it’s not for everyone. If you don’t like surfing, if faith stories annoy you and if you’re repulsed rather than moved by a little bit of cheese, you might want to give it a miss.
But if you do, stay for the credits, when documentary footage shows how much of the film mirrored the true events that took place in Hamilton’s life.
