INCENDIES

 

11 March 2011

© 2010 - Sony Pictures Classics

  Why do we go to the movies?  There is an entire other post (probably several, actually) I could write about this (though it would merely add to the millions of words that have been written on the subject by those wiser, better and more eloquent), and I suppose I show my age by phrasing films as a destination to which one "goes."  I suppose the better, more fundamental question is -- 

Why do we WATCH movies?   (Again, clearly something that could inspire innumerable additional posts, but... whatever.  Let's continue....) Some of the more pretentious among us will say -- to be enlightened, to be educated and sometimes inspired.  Some of us will not be pretentious when we say that (or at least that's what we'll tell ourselves).  We truly want to feel... expanded...by the viewing of a film.  But from their inception, films were a means to entertain.  And the best films often do so while sneakily enlightening as well.  They hide their vegetables and nutrients in a sauce so delicious that no one really minds if it also happens to be healthy.  The proverbial spoon full of sugar that makes the medicine go down easier.  These are frequently the kinds of movies about which reviewers shout: "That's Oscar Material!"  So let me put put this next question forth: What is entertainment?  Well, according to dictionary.com, it's:   A noun

1. the act of entertaining; agreeable occupation for the mind; diversion; amusement: Solving the daily crossword puzzle is an entertainment for many.

2. something affording pleasure, diversion, or amusement, especially a performance of some kind: The highlight of the ball was an elaborate entertainment.

3. hospitable provision for the needs and wants of guest

I provided the above definition because I wanted some verification of a word most often used to classify the medium of film, a definition which thereby also simultaneously implies their purpose.  Though the word "art" is often correctly ascribed as well, this art is usually delivered in an entertaining manner.  All this word-play is because frankly, I initially had no idea how the hell to discuss the movie Incendies, a sentiment I uttered to my equally shell-shocked husband as we left the theater Saturday night... "How am I going to write about this film?"  And after a few moments, my husband replied: "Would you even call that entertainment?"  

Which got me to thinking... would I?  


We all tend to think of entertainment in the positive.  But in order for me to categorize this film, based on the award-winning play by Wajdi Mouawad and directed with rage, compassion and vision by Denis Villeneuve as entertainment, I stretch the definition (my blog, my prerogative) to include that which engages the mind, that which compels one to watch.  Which also brings to mind the cliche about a trainwreck. 


You simply cannot turn away.


Nor, I'm proposing, should you.  


Why?  (Again with the questions, I know.  But hang with me... I'm getting somewhere)

1 - Because some stories need to be told.  And as any author (of written, visual or oral material) knows, and feels deeply, a story can't fully exist without a reader or a viewer or a listener.  The telling is only one part of the  process.  The receiving and perceiving of it completes the cycle, completes the transformation into a "story."  (A tree may fall in the forest, and despite no one being present, it might very well make some noise.  But trust me -- for an author, telling their tale to an empty forest might work as a great scene in a film, but in reality -- it would suck, and it wouldn't feel like they'd told their tale at all. Just ask any blogger who gets, like, zero page views.  Or any unpublished author.  To say the experience is unsatisfying is beyond understated.)

2 - Because in some cases, it is our obligation as human beings.  To bear witness.  To see that which many of us thankfully escape, those conditions under which many of us never have to live, which many of us choose never to even think about.  


Because WE NEED TO KNOW WHAT GOES ON IN OTHER PARTS OF THE WORLD. And those other parts are often dark, sad, mad and maddening.  How can we understand our fellow human beings if don't understand what they must endure?  How they live?  Perhaps if there were more understanding, there would be more peace. And if not understanding (for how can one truly understand that which is so utterly foreign to one's own experiences), at least acknowledgment.


This is the case with Incendies.  I am urging you to see it, though I am quite certain you will not enjoy it.  Though I am equally certain -- you will not regret seeing it.


I went into this film not knowing much of anything about it, which I like to do from time to time.  It is rare you get to be completely surprised by something (especially in a film, these days, and with American films in particular).  To go in with no expectations.  I hadn't read a single review.  But the fact that it had been nominated for the best foreign film Oscar assured me of a certain level of quality, and that was all I needed.  I've done this for years -- seeing these foreign Oscar nominees and winners without a single preconception -- and have never been disappointed.  


Since nearly all reviews include a plot summary (otherwise, how can you say you are actually "reviewing" it, I guess, though I like to call what I do here in this space more of a "discussion"),  I resign myself to perpetuating this tradition, because most of you won't just take my word for it and seek out this film in whatever tiny theater is showing it in some small corner of your nearest city.  For some of you, this film may not play in a feasible location at all, and you'll have to wait for the DVD.  


So here are some basics that will help you feel less blind:  We begin in Canada.  A mother dies (This mother, Nawal Marwan, is played by Lubna Azabal, and let me tell you -- she is one mother of an actress.  Called upon to play a daughter, heart-broken young woman, mother, warrior... she inhabits this amazing role with a fierce and intelligent strength and grace. It is something to behold).  It is quickly apparent that Nawal's relationship with her twins -- now a young man and woman  -- was rocky, that both children felt their mother wasn't exactly "normal," that she was difficult.  As Nawal's will is read aloud, some unusual requests are made.  The will's executor is insistent that the twins accept their assignment in the exact terms -- namely that the twins find their father, whose identity they were never told and whom they believed long deceased.  And further -- that they find their brother.  A brother they never knew they had.  This sends the twins begrudgingly to the middle east, to their mother's roots, on a journey whose destination is both what they were lead to believe, and simultaneously nothing like what they expected.  In seeking out the rest of their family, they uncover truths about their mother and themselves that change their entire perspective on the woman who raised them, and about their own place in the world.  More than that - it changes the way they see all of the world.  


It is a harrowing journey.  For the daughter, Jeanne, a restrained and seemingly repressed mathematician (played with a painful and sorrow-filled quiet intensity by Mélissa Désormeaux-Poulin) this is also a journey inward, one that forces her to leave the safety of her intellect for the unknown, unknowable and chaotic territory of her heart.  For her "other half," Simon (Maxim Gaudette, whose body almost visibly vibrates with the rage of a child who's never known happiness, who seems to have given up on a life that has perpetually disappointed him) an angry, volatile man who works with his hands, he finds himself on a path where losing one's temper can get one killed; where he is forced to both use his mind and open it in ways he's never allowed himself before.  In many ways, both these adults seem only half-formed.  As though they are stuck in an unhappy childhood, unable or afraid to fully mature for fear that the life that awaits them will be as disappointing as the years they've already passed.

There is much sadness, more tragedy, and little joy.  But there is courage.  And bravery.  The kind of heroism and human spirit that you will instantly recognize as possible and true and that exists in the real places that these fictional characters visit.  For those of us fortunate enough to live comfortably far from the locations in which much of the action happens, we will immediately comprehend that these are places not always of living, but of SURVIVING.  Places that show the worst -- but also the best -- of humanity.  The strength of our species to endure through unimaginable horrors, and sometimes to move past those horrors and begin anew. 


Only if there is one lesson to be learned from this film, it's that there never really is "anew."  The past remains.  It is something we contain within ourselves and our memories and the very fiber of who we become as a result of those pasts... But as this film shows, it is metaphorically and literally in our DNA... and we pass it on to our children in ways obvious and hidden.


This is a small film -- because it is foreign, and it isn't flashy.  It isn't filled with physical nudity, but with the nakedness that results when people are mentally and emotionally stripped bare.  It is filled with physical and psychological violence, and its unflinching gaze at this world and its inhabitants will make you want to look away.  But don't.  Please.  

It will take effort to find it if you don't live in NY, LA, and a few other major cities.  Yet I'm asking you to make the effort.


But trust me -- and if you're here at this blog, you already have some level of confidence in my judgment (which I thank you for, mainly on behalf of the films which I try to champion at this blog) -- the lengths to which you'll go to see this are probably as simple as putting it in your Netflix queue. And it is nothing compared to the challenges and obstacles that this story's characters must confront, which are merely representative of the very real challenges and obstacles faced by millions of people on the other side of the world whose lives are constant struggles.  For whom just getting through the day is a triumph.  For whom finding joy is less likely than uncovering that needle in a haystack.   

But this film is that needle.  It is small, and sharp, and worth digging for.  It can hurt you, but sometimes the sensation of pain is the surest confirmation that we are alive.  View the trailer below... then go find this film.   (And if the video doesn't work, please use the link above.  Sorry...) 

IT'S NOT CHEESY, IT'S BRITISH (Or: "Jekyll" Kicks Ass)

Okay, until I get out to the movies tonight to see Incendies, as I posted about earlier, I have to give a brief but enthusiastic recommendation to anyone interested in anything remotely quirky/supernatural/sci-fi-esque with literary references and homages.

Jekyll, a 2007 series now on DVD, of which I've just watched the first 3 of 6 episodes while on the treadmill (let me tell ya, Netflix is the greatest thing to happen to my running routine since, like... ever), is a great spin on the classic tale.  Refashioned as a contemporary drama rooted in reality, its protagonist is tied in compelling ways to the hero of the original novel.  It manages to tie the book to the series in a way that is smart and unexpected.  Probably because it's done by Brits.  There is none of the cheese factor I expected, which is owing to excellent acting by James Nesbitt and his supporting cast (which includes Michelle Ryan, who briefly played over here in America in NBC's short-lived Bionic Woman redux), as well as great writing and direction.  Occasionally, the music verges on "Scary B Movie" parody territory, but I'm giving them the benefit of the doubt and assuming that was intentional.  Not sure it was the wisest move... but at this point, it's the only weak link I've found in the entire enterprise.

Give it a shot.  If you're into this kind of genre, you won't be disappointed. 

 

COMING SOON: INCENDIES

Wherein I will actually do what I say -- which is to review this film which was nominated for the best foreign film Oscar.  I'm going to see it tonight... (yes, I am getting the fuck out of the house... with my husband -- kids staying home with sitter!) and I will try and write a few words that maybe someone will give a shit about.

However, I also saw Kung Fu Panda 2, and Judy Moody and the Not Bummer Summer in the past two days... (WITH my kids... in case you were wondering what kind of screwed up masochist I really am), and should anyone be interested in my thoughts on those... I will feel free to share!

(And I apologize for not delivering on my review of In A Better World.  Because in a better world, I'd actually do what I say and I would have finished that one.  But so few people seemed interested, it kind of killed my motivation. Again, apologies, and I will still try and deliver a few brief words about it at a later date so that when it's available on DVD, people will check it out. It's great.)

COMING SOON: BEING HUMAN IS OVERRATED, BUT THE BBC SERIES ISN'T.

So a vampire, a werewolf and a ghost walk into a bar...

If that sounds like the beginning of a joke, it's not.  It's actually something that could happen in an episode of Being Human, the BBC series I've been Netflixing the hell out of in my endeavors to keep myself entertained while on the treadmill.  

In my next post, I'll give you a quick breakdown of the series (starring Aidan Turner, Russell Tovey and Lenora Crichlow) that, so far into the first season (where I currently am), has managed to bring some new life into yet another story about the undead.

Though it may not reinvent the genre, it manages to sweetly, intelligently, humorously and often movingly bring some refreshing perspectives by having a vampire and his werewolf pal rent a flat together that's haunted by a ghost.  Blood is spilled, myths are shattered, questions of mortality (and immortality) are raised, and intriguing  dynamics ensue as three former humans ponder the essence of their humanity once they no longer have it.

Game of Thrones (or: Season of the Bad Hair)

 Been stocking up all these episodes of Game of Thrones on my DVR and couldn't wait to finally start watching them. (For those of you who don't know, this action/fantasy/sword-fighting dramatic epic HBO series is based on a hugely popular and successful series of novels by George R.R. Martin.)

Husband and I got to it too late the other night, so I knew we'd never finish an entire episode without his snores joining the soundtrack.  But here's what I have to say thus far -- sometimes even with the volume all the way up, their dialogue was difficult to understand (which may've been due to the various accents, or the fact that a lot of these words/names/places are fictional and unrecognizable, but you hear them and THINK you were supposed to recognize it, so you keep going back and listening over and over, saying "what the hell did he say? who are they talking about? only to realize -- d'oh! it's not a real place, nor a name or word we've heard before, so no wonder we're confused!  it's new information, and fictitious at that!) and we had to go back a few times to try and figure out what was being said.

I know there's a lot, I mean A FREAKIN' LOT, of exposition that had to be gone through to set up this world and the bazillion interwoven back stories of all the characters, so I am being patient.   And when I say these characters come more with baggage than back-story, that is a serious understatement.  It does seem like it will ultimately be a compelling and very cool story.

And it seems well-cast (Not loving Lena Headey as the queen yet, which bums me out, because I loved her in 300, and after initial ambivalence, grew to like her a lot in the tv series Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles; Sean Bean has a great commanding presence, and brings a lot of depth to what could so easily be a one-dimensional macho, warrior/patriarch; and as always Peter Dinklage manages to make his dwarf perhaps the most compelling of all the characters, and his performance never ceases to surprise.) There are several young faces unfamiliar to most American viewers, and I suspect this will turn out to be a career-changer for some of them.  A couple of the youngest actors have a ton of charisma and really hold the screen against their more-seasoned co-stars.

That being said, the actors couldn't do such a good job without good writing, and despite the heavy load of necessary exposition, it is intelligently written and pleasantly free of so many cliches that usually bog down this particular genre.  You can tell that it is driving somewhere, and it makes you wanna slog through the mucky trenches of all this set-up to get to that destination.  And that is also owing to some great work by the various directors.

But... can we talk about the hair???

Yes, people, the hair FUCKING MATTERS.  You spend all that money on those gorgeous costumes and those sets... and you shoot in obscenely cinematic locations in Ireland and Malta, and then, what, you get the worst wigs in the history of wigs?

Or just bad dye jobs? Bad extensions...? Just. Plain. Bad.

Honestly, the hair looks so misplaced on some characters that it is beyond asking me to suspend my disbelief.  It totally took me out of the story, that's how distracting it is.  Sigh. 

Not that I'll stop watching... 

***Note -- we have now watched three episodes.  We had to pause a few times to review their web of dysfunctional relationships -- "Wait, he killed whose father? Then he fucked whose sister? Then they stole the throne and she married the king but now they're fucking each other while so-and-so is stabbing so-and-so in the back..."  --  before continuing on with our viewing, because so much of this series is about what happened BEFORE the series began. Everything here is context, at this point.  The plots and machinations are meaningless, unless you understand their various histories with one another.  But let me say -- as I suspected and mentioned above, it is turning out to be quite compelling.  And dark.  And really, despite it being about kingdoms and sword-fights, and all the various shifting alliances... it is fundamentally a big, messy family saga of the darkest kind, with love of family and love of power battling it out.  The characters are well-drawn and complex, the acting gets better with each episode as everyone seems to be settling in, and yes -- there is incest and fantastical, darkly supernatural forces hovering on the horizon.... It's ALMOST enough to get me past the issue with the hair... Maybe in another ep or two I won't even notice anymore... Maybe.****

******Second Note (5/26/11) -- yes, I am fully addicted now.  And happy to say, I am  thoroughly enjoying Lena Headey's performance.  Guess it took me a while to stop seeing her as Sarah Connor.  And fortunately, because it's not TV... it's HBO!, you can get the episodes On Demand so you can quickly get brought up to speed.  This show is the REAL Brothers and Sisters, and makes the familial dynamics in that soon-to-be-dead Calista Flockhart vehicle seem utterly boring by comparison.  Get through those first two eps... and you will love this.***

Wasn't Knocked Out by the Hammer of "Thor"

A few words about the Saturday night cinematic event that was utterly non-eventful... 

Bizarrely lackluster, and directed with an unexpected lack of the unexpected.  Oh Kenneth Branagh, where art thou? To which realm hast thine (thy??) creativity been banished? 


Good cast.  All did their best with a disappointingly average script.  Ray Stevenson, who was FUCKING FANTASTIC, in the now-defunct HBO Series, Rome, is entertaining as always, though totally under-utilized and unable to show his surprisingly staggering range. Same goes for Idris Elba, whom I still worship since his days on another brilliant but gone HBO series: The Wire.  I should also add that I found Chris Hemsworth charming and charismatic as Thor, but really still have no idea what he's capable of as an actor after playing this narrowly drawn character who's given zero opportunity for subtlety.  As for Oscar-winner Natalie Portman...? Well, this film is the ultimate proof of her range -- she can not only play complicated multi-faceted characters, but also characters that require so little depth that they can be played by any number of people and it wouldn't have made a difference.  (Though I suppose between this film and her earlier one -- which I just REFUSED to spend $$ on -- with Ashton Kutcher, No Strings Attached, she has achieved the right to say "See?  I do have a lighter side!" And maybe that was the point...? That and the right to say she worked with Branagh on his least interesting project?  Just looking for an explanation here....)


Now if you really wanna see Branagh do good work, rent the British tv series: Wallander, in which he plays an emotionally fraying Swedish detective.  Sounds cliche, but he gives it a ton of complexity.  It's based on a series of novels about the same character.  I'd never heard of the novels prior to renting the series on netflix, but apparently they're quite well known outside of America. 


Also, if you rent the series, you'll catch Tom Hiddleston, the actor who plays Thor's brother Loki in the film.  In Wallander, he plays one of Branagh's character's co-workers, and you'll barely be able to tell it's the same guy.  Probably Branagh's best move was casting this guy.


In terms of the kids -- wouldn't bring 'em, at least not any under the age of 12. (Especially not with what movie tickets cost these days.  Just ain't worth it.)  My 7 yr old was occasionally frightened (though granted, he's a pretty sensitive kid), but both he and my 10 yr old daughter were fidgety and bored and frequently asked if it was almost over.  They seemed annoyed at us, like we mislead them into thinking we were going to see a cool action film about a cool superhero, and instead, we'd tricked them into a movie for "grownups."  The pacing was uneven and there were several tangible lags, even for my husband and myself, and we're big fans of the superhero genre.


Just kinda wondering... what the hell happened. 


Not a horrible film, but seriously -- you could wait for the DVD, watch it in your living room, and you'd be a lot less annoyed with it.  


So bummed.  Had higher expectations, as Miller and Stentz are excellent writers and also great guys.  And Branagh...?  He's capable of brilliance.  


Looks like he coulda used a bolt of inspirational lightning on this one, and it never came...


Sigh. 

"Soul Surfer" -- One of the best sports movies. EVER.

and without a doubt

THE BEST FEMALE SPORTS MOVIE

I personally can remember seeing

When you "preview" (ie my infamous "Coming Soon" quasi-posts) an upcoming film review --

Wait --  Stop right there. 

I need to clarify -- I'm not entirely happy with the term "review." At least not for the purposes of this blog.  These things will be more my... feelings and observations.  My... reactions and responses.  Let's go with that, shall we?  I don't want to put myself forth as a professional film critic. 

Quite the opposite, actually.  I like to think of myself as just a viewer.  And an amateur viewer, at that.  I like to pretend that I never worked in this business -- insofar as my ability to view television programs and films is still (hopefully) the same as before I began working behind the camera as a writer, producer and director.  I try to watch without a critical eye, and more of an open mind and heart... Hope that makes sense.  I guess when I view TV and film, I like to return to the days when it was a magical experience that transported me out of my own life for a little while... an experience that was so miraculously transformative that it instilled in me a passion that ultimately guided me to my chosen career.  So, with that said...here we go again:

When you preview an upcoming discussion of your reaction to a film by using the words "One of the Best..." followed up by "Ever," you kinda gotta get the follow-up out there into the world quickly so that your praise doesn't vanish into the ether like hyperbolic smoke you're blowing just to get attention.

You need to get to the specifics. You need to back up your (subjective but utterly valid!) opinion with evidence of your passion and some kind of explanation.

For those of you who've read my other blog and guest posts, you already know that a want for words isn't my problem.  But at this blog, I will endeavor to get to my points quickly.  These aren't the ravings of my subconscious -- these are my attempts to encourage you to see a particular film or TV show.  And mind you, no one is paying me to do this, so I have nothing to gain except that I think it's critically urgent that good work is supported because 1: it's good work, and 2: it perpetuates the possibility of more good work being done.  It shows that audiences aren't utterly vapid and still long for and appreciate smart, artistic and entertaining enterprises that say something and touch us.

In this particular case, it's Soul Surfer.  And because it's already been in release for a little while, I feel compelled to get this post published asap so some of you can still catch it before it leaves the theaters.

I freely admit that I had never read any reviews from this film prior to seeing it.  (Nor the book, also entitled Soul Surfer, which I hear is incredible, and I intend to buy it immediately for my 9 yr old daughter.)  But as there is so little for kids and tweens out there in the multiplexes, all I needed was to hear from one or two moms that "the shark bite thing" is "really quick and not too scary" and that was pretty much that.

In case you don't know -- Soul Surfer is based on the true story of Bethany Hamilton, the young woman who made news headlines back in 2003 when the then thirteen year old's arm was bitten off by a shark while she was surfing off the coast of Hawaii, where she and her family live.  The miracle was not only that she survived... but eventually returned to competitive surfing.  Though I didn't see any of the interviews she gave at the time, it had somehow reached the cultural consciousness that here was a kid with an inner strength and spirit and will far beyond her years. 

But what this movie depicts so movingly and inspiringly (if that isn't a real word, I don't care -- it fits) is that her strength and spirit and will aren't just beyond her years, they're beyond any years.  They are beyond being defined in relation to her age or gender.  Here, quite simply, is a human being who refused to be trounced by the odds, who refused to surrender anything more than the limb stolen from her, and ultimately triumphed in every conceivable way.  And though the movie isn't what I would call perfect, and some moments in the script are weak or predictable, these flaws are far overshadowed by its strengths.

Helen Hunt and Dennis Quaid play Bethany's parents, two life-long surfers whose relationship seems almost suspiciously healthy and happy as they instill strong Christian values and a love of surfing in their three children: two sons and youngest daughter Bethany... who is portrayed as being at least as comfortable in the water as out of it, and began surfing competitively at the age of 8.  And admittedly, I was skeptical.   The "screenwriter" in me was like -- oooh, here we go -- set them up as happy, then watch them fall apart when the shit hits the fan.  And the "realist" in me was like, "yeah, right! a family that gets along so well! c'mon!"  But I tried to drown out all those voices and just settle in and ride the wave... (sorry, had to do it.. couldn't help myself) and anyway, who knows -- maybe a family that lives in a gorgeous place like Hawaii and shares a common passion (like surfing) really does have a great relationship.  But frankly, all this stuff can be overlooked because the stuff that works well in this movie makes you forget anything that could be perceived as cheesy.

So from here, I'm going to skip most of the plot analysis, because it can be boiled down to this: up-and-coming surfer is bitten by shark, faces challenges in overcoming life with only one arm, hits some seriously rough patches -- physically, emotionally and spiritually -- trying to return to first some semblance of normalcy, then surfing, but ultimately succeeds.  Throughout this, we see her friends, family and community pull together in support of Bethany as she recovers, the compassionate suffering of these same friends and family as they feel for Bethany's plight, and of course (in addition to the shark) there is a sort of "villain" in the piece, a powerful and aggressive surfer who is seen as Bethany's greatest rival on the surfing circuit.  (PS -- the fact that Bethany could have been a male surfer and the story would not have changed ONE BIT is key to its sheer awesomeness).

This is all sort of (forgive me, Bethany) standard story-structure stuff.  But it's not the structure that makes this film outstanding.  Once again, it's not a story, but how it's told.  Yes, folks, it's all in the delivery of it.  But really, because this is a true story, it's all in the LIVING of it.  Which Bethany Hamilton continues to do.  And does it so much better than the rest of us, and in such a way that rather than making us feel inferior, she makes us want to do better, to be better.  She shows us what humanity can be at its best... and also, how athletics and sports can often be the way in which this can be achieved and demonstrated.  For more proof of this, you can visit Bethany at her website.

So here, in short, are some of the noteworthy things that make this film work so damn well: 

The portayal of Bethany's relationship with Alana Blanchard (played with an appealing genuineness by Lorraine Nicholson), a life-long friend and fellow surfer .  And this is one of the places where the movie begins to show just how unique and extraordinary it is... by deftly treating something as ordinary.  Here are two attractive young girls and there is no cattiness, no pettiness; they are not boy crazy, slutty, overly preoccupied by their clothes or appearances.  Their friendship is solid.  And they tackle some truly challenging moments with maturity and caring.  NO ONE portrays women, especially young ones, like that.  With such realism, with such a lack of scandal.  With such an utter lack of melodrama and artifice.  And this film does it WITH EASE.  Such ease that everyone else who distorts adolescent girls into sit-com idiots should be ASHAMED. (Are you listening, Nick and Disney??  I know my kids love your tv programs, but seriously? This is the best you can do??)

And here is where this becomes one of the best female sports movies... EVER.  Alana and Bethany share a passion for surfing.  And yet....their gender is never made a big deal of.  We see men and women surfing throughout this film, and the fact that they are women is almost never mentioned. They are simply SURFERS.  They are athletes.  Their triumphs and their failures and their challenges are never attributed to their genders.  We see them work their asses off.  But no one ever says: Wow, I'm a girl, so I have to work twice as hard! Whoa is me! (And you can bet your life that Bethany Hamilton never says it).  No one ever says: Wow, she surfs really well, and she's a girl! Who'd a thunk it????

After Bethany loses her arm one day (the specifics of which I will get to in a moment, just for those parents deciding whether or not it's appropriate for their kids) while out surfing with Alana and Alana's father (nicely played by Kevin Sorbo) and her brother, her biggest concern is not "can I surf again?" but "when can I surf again?"  It never enters her mind to give up her greatest joy.  Needless to say, but I'll say it anyway, there are scenes that show the difficulties Bethany has trying to do the most basic of things with only one arm -- making lunch, getting dressed... putting her hair into a ponytail -- but none of it is done melodramatically.  This is simply the reality of her new situation.  And her frustration is understandable.  Here was a very independent girl who suddenly needs help.  And she'll be damned if she'll ask for it.

As powerfully portrayed by the talented actress Annasophia Robb, Bethany never plays the victim... rarely takes a moment to pity herself... so when she does finally breakdown in bewilderment as to why God has let this happen to her, questioning how this could be his "plan" for her... her Church's youth leader Sarah (played with a believable sweetness by Carrie Underwood) admits that she simply doesn't know.  And that, too, is great.  There are no pat answers or melodramatic monologues here.  There are no hysterics, either.  (Though occasionally some of the parents' dialogue and interactions are  unfortunately stereotypical and predictable).  People face their realities, and bravely.  Not that they aren't fearful or scared... but they persist.  And that is bravery.  Not lacking fear, but continuing on in spite of it. 

Since everyone knows that Bethany does indeed return to the world of surfing, I don't consider mentioning that fact a spoiler.  The joy and beauty of this film is in watching how she gets there.  In seeing her travel to Thailand after the tsunami to help others in need.  To seeing the journey she takes, spiritually and physically. 

Her will to not only surf, but to excel at it, would humble any pro athlete, though no doubt they would understand it.  What Soul Surfer does is remind us that the best athletes aren't just examples of strong bodies with a superior skill set; the best athletes have incredible will-power and faith in themselves, faith in a work ethic and discipline -- that if you put in the time and effort, you'll reap a reward, whereas so many other people simply quit before they begin, psyching themselves out with: "It's too hard, it's not possible..." and other similarly self-defeating thoughts (aka excuses.)

See this movie, and you will find it hard to utter those words again, to entertain those thoughts, without feeling at least a twinge of shame.

So -- at this point, until someone reminds me of another film, I'm calling Soul Surfer the greatest movie about a female athlete EVER, because it isn't about a female athlete at all.  It's about an incredible surfer who touches everyone she meets and makes them want to be better people -- man or woman, boy or girl.  Who does better and more with one arm than most people do with two. 

And it is one of the greatest sports movies ever because it portrays what the rigors and discipline of athletics can do to raise us up, to create and foster a believe in one's self.   Not to be better athletes, or to triumph at a particular sport, but to simply BE the best that we can be -- as a species.

***Now, for those parents curious about "the shark bite thing," here's my quick take: you barely see the shark coming.  The minutes before the incident are not fraught with tension.  You won't be uncomfortably on the edge of your seat the entire time.  And when it happens... you glimpse the shark... and then -- it's gone.  But -- there is a fair amount of blood in the water.  I have a child who cannot stand the sight of blood, and this was tough for her.  But they don't focus on the injury to her body... It isn't graphic.  However, the next few minutes are quite tense as they race to the hospital to save her. And if you have very sensitive kids, as I do, watching the stress on her family and friends, and watching Bethany finally lose consciousness after a valiant fight to stay calm and alert, is fairly upsetting.  And then... it's over.  She comes through... but without an arm.  

My advice is to discuss this all with your kids ahead of time.  To take them through it step by step BEFORE seeing the film.  Unlike adults, they'll still wanna see it and won't feel like you've ruined it for them.  Though my kids were definitely freaked out by the whole thing, that was counterbalanced by how great the film was and how Bethany succeeds in the end.  (something I also mentioned beforehand, ie "Don't worry, she ends up being better than fine and becomes a kick-ass surfer in real life.  Seriously.  You'll see!") My kids worried they'd have nightmares... but by the next day, they didn't even mention it.  So my take?  It's well worth it. My son is 6 and my daughter is 9.  I know of other 6 yr olds who saw it as well, and they still loved the film.  My advice -- see this film.*****

And if you've missed this in the theaters -- see it on DVD.  You'll be glad you did.  You have no idea of the impact it might have on you or your children.  But odds are, its lessons will stay with all of you, long after it fades out.