By Meg Korpi and Rusty Wright
Special to Assist News Service
NEW YORK, NY (ANS) -- Kauai, 2003. A 14-foot tiger shark bursts through the waves and tears off 13-year-old Bethany Hamilton’s left arm. She loses 60 percent of her blood, and faces the end of her pro surfing dreams. Three months later, the unstoppable young teen is surfing competitively again.
Story continues below after the video-break suggester by World Christian Press:
If you’re looking for inspiration to thrive in tough times or to appreciate life more fully, Soul Surfer—the movie based on Hamilton’s brush with death and remarkable comeback—will knock your socks off. The Sony Pictures release, starring AnnaSophia Robb, Dennis Quaid, Helen Hunt, and Carrie Underwood opens across North America April 8th.
Fantastic Surfing, Tough Competition, Heart-stopping Tragedy, Strong Character
The film’s breathtaking surfing footage and heart-pounding athletic competition will entertain sports enthusiasts. But Bethany’s true story of gut-wrenching tragedy, driven character, and hard-won victory is what makes Soul Surfer worth seeing.
Pre-attack, Bethany (Robb) is a lighthearted kid and skilled surfer. (At 13, she ranked #2 among 18-and-under females in the USA.) After the attack, Bethany emerges as poised and determined, with a well-grounded spirit. Where does a 13-year-old gain the fortitude to overcome a missing limb and rebuild athletic prowess, while remaining surprisingly good-spirited?
Why This? Why Me?
Bethany (AnnaSophia Robb) gets support from her dad (Dennis Quaid) as she considers
what the future holds
After the attack, Bethany struggles with the mundane (ever try slicing a tomato with one hand?), the profound (how could God allow this?), and the young-teen weighty (will a boy ever like her with only one arm?). But in addition, as a champion surfer, driven by love of the sport, Bethany confronts the likely loss of her career: How could she possibly paddle a surfboard, one-armed, through the impact zone (roughest part of the surf), much less re-conquer championship maneuvers?
“I don’t need easy; I just need possible”
But a love of God also drives Bethany. At the film’s NYC premiere, director Sean McNamara offered insight. “Her faith was amazing, I watched her overcome adversity and ... say ‘my family helped me and my faith in Jesus Christ.’ ... I’d been through years of Catholic school, but it’s different when you actually see someone walk the walk and talk the talk.”
In the film, Bethany’s youth group leader, Sarah Hill (Underwood), helps her gain perspective after the tragedy. Gradually, Bethany learns to rely on the biblical assurance: “‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ says the Lord. ‘…plans for good and not for harm, to give you a future and a hope.’”
With remarkable determination, Bethany decides to tackle surfing again. She seeks her father’s help. “It’s not going to be easy,” he cautions.
“I don’t need easy,” replies Bethany. “I just need possible.”
Inspiring Role Model
This film will not please moviegoers who expect dark drama and gore from a shark-attack film. Skeptics will likely scoff at the portrayal of Bethany’s resilience and positive attitude as too good to be true. In fact, the filmmakers appear to have toned down real-Bethany’s indomitable spirit, fearing that audiences would find her too unbelievable. “They tried to portray her as being sad in the hospital,” Bethany’s brother Noah told us, “but she wasn’t like that. She was always upbeat.”
Good teen role models are hard to find. Thirteen-year–olds who inspire adults to act more courageously are even rarer. If you’re humble enough to accept that admirable and wise-beyond-their-years youth do exist (and we’ve met one), you could learn a lot from this movie—no matter what your age.
Soul Surfer is thought-provoking PG entertainment. The Hamilton family’s strong faith is portrayed as integral to the characters, not in a preachy way. The shark-attack scene is safe for the squeamish. We found the movie hard to leave in the theater. Instead, we carried it with us for days, reflecting on the individuals’ choices, wisdom and character.
Some of the real Bethany’s insights are so selfless and profound they are indeed hard for the rest of us to understand. She once said,
“If I can help other people find hope in God, then that is worth losing my arm for.”
Amazing. Grace.
Copyright © 2011 Meg Korpi & Rusty Wright
Note to Editors: See movie photo below. More photos are here and here.
Meg Korpi is a research scientist who studies character development and ethical decision-making through the Character Research Institute. She holds a PhD from, and formerly taught at, Stanford University. Rusty Wrigh
t is an author and lecturer who has spoken on six continents. He holds Bachelor of Science (psychology) and Master of Theology degrees from Duke and Oxford universities, respectively. www.RustyWright.com. Meg and Rusty are married, and make their home in Northern California.
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