2011-08-31

Soul Surfer Drama Film 2011

Soul Surfer is a 2011 American drama film about the life of surfer Bethany Hamilton. At the age of thirteen, Hamilton lost her arm to a shark attack. The film details the events surrounding this attack and her struggle during the aftermath. The film is directed by Sean McNamara, who based the screenplay on Hamilton’s autobiography of the same name and on the filmmakers'interviews with the family. The title refers to a term coined in the 1960s to denote someone who surfs purely for pleasure, but the word soul has a double meaning as a reference to Hamilton’s Christian faith, which helped her recover her surfing career after the attack. AnnaSophia Robb stars as Hami.

Plans for a film existed since shortly after the shark attack on Hamilton in 2003 and her subsequent recovery. After several false starts to production, McNamara was attached to direct the film. While the film is based on Hamilton’s 2004 biographical book, the director and producer David Brookwell interviewed the family to learn about unpublished conflicts to include in the film. Filming took place in Hawaii in early 2010, and Robb wore a green sleeve on her arm so visual effects could be added in post-production to create the appearance of a stump. Additional filming took place in Tahiti in August 2010.

FilmDistrict, which was launched in September 2010, formed a partnership with TriStar Pictures to release Soul Surfer in theaters. The company originally anticipated releasing the film in 300 theaters, but the company was impressed enough with the final product to pursue a release in 2,000 theaters. The film was released in theaters in the United States and Canada on April 8, 2011.
Bethany Hamilton is a teenager who lives in Kauai, Hawaii with her parents Tom and Cheri, and two older brothers. All are surfers, but Bethany and her best friend Alana Blanchard have grown up with a passion for the sport and enter a competition. Bethany’s church youth ministry leader, Sarah Hill, is disappointed when Bethany has to withdraw from a planned missions trip because of the contest.
Bethany and Alana place first and third, respectively, while the second place winner, Malina Birch, proves a fierce rival to Bethany. Bethany invites both girls up on the winner’s box with her, but Malina ungraciously refuses. The Rip Curl surfwear company offers to sponsor Bethany and Alana in competition, in return for an advertising contract.
One night before Halloween, Alana and Bethany sneak off with some friends to go night surfing. Later, while Tom goes to the hospital for knee surgery, both of the girls go surfing with Alana’s father and brother. As Bethany dangles her left arm in the water, a shark bites it off near the shoulder. Alana’s father gets her out of the water and puts a tourniquet on Bethany while Alana’s brother calls 9-1-1. An ambulance meets them on the way to the hospital. Just before starting Tom’s surgery, Dr. Rovinsky is called to the emergency room to treat Bethany. She has lost her left arm, along with 60% of her blood volume, and Dr. Rovinsky calls her survival a miracle.

Bethany’s injury disqualifies her from the Rip Curl photo shoots, but she wishes her friend Alana well. Rip Curl is supportive of her, providing a prosthetic arm. The arm is cosmetically perfect and has bendable joints, but Bethany angrily rejects it when she learns it is not weight-bearing. The onslaught of publicity also proves to be a great strain on her and the entire family.

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