Soul Surfer (2011)

Directed by Sean McNamara

You have probably heard the story of Bethany Hamilton, the Hawaii native who had her left arm bitten off by a 14-foot tiger shark, off the shore of her home town, while surfing with family friends. Bethany was thirteen that year, 2003.

Soul Surfer is about Bethany Hamilton, and her recovery from the shark attack. Bethany(played by Annasophia Robb) goes out at the crack of dawn on Halloween, to go surfing with her best friend and her best friends brother and dad. Her mother(played by Helen Hunt) was at home along with her brothers, Noah and Timmy. Her father(played by Dennis Quaid) was at the hospital getting a knee surgery.

Bethany was resting on her board when the shark attacked, she was pulled under momentarily, then her friends rushed to help her. Her left arm and part of her board was in the belly of the shark. Her friends pulled her, on the board, on to the coral reef, where the shark could not get at. Her friend's dad immediately took control and started shouting commands, telling his son to go and call the hospital. The brother ran across the coral reef to get to shore. The friend's dad wrapped her bleeding shoulder in his swim shirt. The friend's brother called the hospital and Bethany's mother. Bethany's dad had to leave the room he was going to have his surgery in so it would be available for Bethany. Talk about scary.
Bethany was taken by the ambulance to the hospital, with her friends behind the ambulance and her mother and brother behind them. The worst part was that during all of this Bethany was conscious.

The movie then follows Bethany after the shark attack and until she got back on her board at the Rip Curl National Surfing Competition.

Bethany's story is a very inspiring one. This movie was amazing. I centered on the attack, but in the movie the whole thing I just described couldn't have lasted five minutes.

Bethany stayed true to God during that horrible time in her life. Trusted in Him, and was extremely brave.

Bethany is now 21 and a pro surfer along side of her best friend Alana Blanchard, the same friend who was there for that horrible time.

If you haven't yet seen this movie, you need to. It is amazing!

review by Sweetie Pie