Soul Surfer is based on the story of courageous Bethany Hamilton (played by AnnaSophia Robb), a teenage surfing champion who lost an arm in a shark attack, and then regained the confidence to re-enter the water, despite the overwhelming odds against her success. Over the years, there’s been enough bad/inspirational/family/sports/movies based on real events to deign that movie excellence does not have much to do with the veracity of the plot. However, this time, the fact that Soul Surfer was based on a real struggle adds to the inspiring nature of the film. The truthfulness of the story intensifies the meaning of Soul Surfer because, more than anything else, Soul Surfer strives to impart a kind of wisdom about learning to grow, not just in spite of, but because of loss.
It is important to mention that Christianity plays an important role in Soul Surfer. While the film shows delightful restraint in terms of preaching to its audience, the movie fundamentally revolves around Christian ideology. Soul Surfer is able to express a story of faith without becoming overly didactic, mainly because Bethany’s story is presented as a parable meant to embolden. Her struggle is one we have seen before, like, as mentioned in Soul Surfer, in the Biblical book of Job. For those unfamiliar: the Biblical book of Job discusses that infamous theological dilemma: why do bad things happen to good people? Ultimately, though the story is shown through a Christian lens, Bethany’s crisis is existential – and thus deeply related to human experience, no matter what religion or creed.
Towards the beginning of the film, when Bethany is still surfing with both arms intact, she recites a Bible verse, similar to (if not exactly, if memory serves) Philippians 4:13, “I can do everything through Him who gives me strength.” Immediately, Bethany’s devotion becomes clear, primarily through interactions with her family, like her Mom (Helen Hunt) and Dad (Dennis Quaid) her friends, such as fellow surfer Alana Blanchard (Lorraine Nicholson) and especially her youth pastor (Carrie Underwood). However, losing her arm in a shark attack leaves Bethany questioning her faith that had once lifted her up. In a scene that was heartbreaking despite Underwood’s acting, Bethany tells her youth pastor that she doesn’t see how losing her arm could be part of God’s plan. Again, Bethany mentions Philippians 4:13, but this time she is unsure of its meaning, now that she knows that she cannot, in fact, do everything.
Bethany’s struggle with faith seems not only understandable, given her circumstance, but also deeply authentic. Initially, after Bethany loses her arm in Soul Surfer, her career prospects in the world of surfing seem bleak. Bethany experienced difficulty doing ordinary, every day tasks, such as cutting fruit – never mind surfing. It is easy to see and empathize with Bethany’s struggle, so it is also easy to root for her, and satisfying to watch her progress.
Another high point of the movie was simply watching Bethany’s support system. The relationship between Helen Hunt and Dennis Quaid as Bethany’s parents is quite believable, in that they expressed a high level of love and concern for their daughter. Bethany’s interactions with best friend and surfing competitor Alana were compelling not just because of the natural acting abilities of Lorraine Nicholson, but because it was comforting to know that the supportive relationship between Bethany and Alana is based on something real. Great acting in family films can be hard to find, but, with the exception of Carrie Underwood, the actors were believable enough to keep a high level of interest throughout the film.
While Soul Surfer did have some elements of family film cheesiness, like the unbelievable CGI shark attack that elicited its share of laughs, Soul Surfer is, for the most part, more substantive than might be expected. While I’m not expecting it to be nominated for any Academy Awards, Soul Surfer is a story of redemption that is ultimately worth telling and seeing.
Marit Rogne
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