Bethany Hamilton: Unstoppable (2019)
Bethany Hamilton… why does that name sound familiar? Wait, was she the girl in The Miracle Season? No, that’s not it. Oh right! Soul Surfer!
Obviously, I’m not one of the MANY fans who contributed to the Kickstarter campaign that made the documentary Bethany Hamilton: Unstoppable happen but I like a good documentary and the woman’s truly inspiring. She’s a hero many, but does that mean she’s a prime subject for a documentary?
A shark attack in 2003 left American surfing prodigy Bethany Hamilton missing her left arm. Determined to return to the world of professional surfing once she recovered, the journey proved even more difficult than she could’ve anticipated. Her recovery touched the world but the public appearances never managed to scratch that itch to get back onto those waves. Director Aaron Lieber chronicles her journey through the attack, her marriage and eventual return to competitive surfing.
Sorry to burst your bubble but Bethany Hamilton: Unstoppable isn't a well-made documentary. The woman's story is interesting but the choice bits have already been covered in the film adaptation of her book, Soul Surfer, leaving this movie unsure what to do.
At numerous points, you can see an interesting path in the distance. In 2016, Bethany received a nomination for Best Female Athlete with a Disability and decided to back out of it, stating she didn’t want to be in the “handicap” category. Woah! but the topic gets dropped immediately. We see glimpses of the training regiment which allowed her to get back on the board but it’s ultimately just a glimpse. Her Christian faith is barely mentioned, except for a few awkward and out-of-place moments - as if they were edited out and then put back in after Hamilton objected. Her second son isn’t mentioned at all - despite being born in March 2018.
I can't wholly blame director Aaron Lieber. Bethany has skills on the water but on-camera, she has no presence. Everyone interviewed displays little charisma and the flat presentation doesn’t help. There’s no style in the camerawork, editing or storytelling whatsoever. The only moments "Unstoppable" comes alive… are during the spectacular surfing footage but these are drowing in interviews and testimonies by family members, coaches, and athletes.
There’s no true plotline or arc and the picture's objective isn’t clear unless it was simply to tell the people who already loved Hamilton more about her? There’s not really a proper ending either. You sense that things are going ok… but that’s it? A life that’s “ok” isn’t what we go to the movies for. There are numerous clips and scenes all the way until the end end of the credits but no reason to see this in the theater, even for hardcore fans. There’s no immediacy to Bethany Hamilton: Unstoppable, a documentary born from love and admiration, not necessity. (Theatrical version on the big screen, August 8, 2019)
