



電影《靈魂沖浪》(Soul Surfer)改編自2004年出版的傳記文學《靈魂沖浪:一個關于信念、家庭和重新站上沖浪板的真實故事》(Soul Surfer: A True Story of Faith, Family, and Fighting to Get Back on the Board),講述了美國沖浪手Bethany Hamilton的真實故事。現年22歲的Bethany出生于夏威夷的一個沖浪世家,在父母的訓練下很小就展現出沖浪才華,但在13歲一次訓練中遭到虎鯊攻擊,不幸被咬斷了一條胳膊。就在人們以為她將就此放棄沖浪運動時,身殘志堅的Bethany卻在事故發生僅一個月后又重回大海的懷抱,并在一年后奪得了全美女子沖浪冠軍。獨臂沖浪少女的故事就這樣一傳十、十傳百,吸引了眾多媒體的報道,Bethany隨即成為美國青少年的偶像。她的事跡激勵著無數殘疾青少年,是美國精神的最佳代表之一。
影片可以說是近年來關于尋找信念的電影中最讓人印象深刻的一部。全片展現了夏威夷動人心魄的美景、馳騁在浪尖上的少男少女們的青春身影、讓人感動的家庭關愛以及女主角那仿佛夏威夷陽光一般燦爛溫暖的笑臉,通過一切美好來展現女主角永不放棄信念的靈魂之美。
在海浪中成長
Bethany Hamilton生于1990年2月8日,在夏威夷溫暖的海水中和燦爛的陽光下長大,父母都是瘋狂的沖浪愛好者,可以說,Bethany的童年是在海浪和沖浪板上度過的。因此她深愛著大海和沖浪運動,不論后來發生了什么,都從未改變過。
Bethany: I was born in Hawaii to two die-hard (頑固的) surfers. How could I not have salt water in my veins (血管)? They say home is where the heart is. And for most people, that consists of four walls and a welcome mat. But for me, it's the ocean with the warmth of the sun on my skin. Two brothers. That's my answer when anyone asks me why I'm so competitive. And, of course, there's my best friend Alana. We spent more time wet than we did dry. My mom was convinced that we were mermaids (美人魚). From the moment I caught my first wave, I knew that I wanted to be a pro (職業的) surfer. Nothing else seemed to matter. Surfing is my passion, my way of life. The stoke I get from riding a perfect wave is pure joy. But like my dad always says, \"Life is an adventure.\" And sometimes, you wipe out (翻跌下來) and end up in the impact zone (海浪翻滾下來沖擊水面的區域,對沖浪手來說既有機遇又有危險).
13歲那年,Bethany和好友Alana雙雙獲得了夏威夷地區女子沖浪預選賽的資格。當地知名沖浪品牌看上了二人的發展前景,邀請她們做品牌代言。對Bethany十多年的業余沖浪生涯來說,這場比賽的勝利意義重大,能讓她離職業沖浪生涯更近一步。
勇敢的小美人魚
可是,生活就像一場冒險,你永遠也不知道下一刻會發生什么。就在賽前的一次訓練中,一只鯊魚毫無征兆地襲來,咬斷了Bethany的一只胳膊。我們不知道是什么力量支撐著那一刻的Bethany,也不知道她何以能夠在劇痛之下還那樣鎮定與理智。13歲的她沒有尖叫,沒有掙扎,也沒有哭喊,而是用自己僅存的力量拼命地劃到岸邊。所有人都驚嘆那是一個奇跡,正是她的冷靜給自己帶來了生機。
在同行的Alana的父親Holt及其他人的幫助下,Bethany被以最快的速度送往醫院。即便如此,她還是差點因為失血而休克。到了醫院,躺在手術車上的Bethany恍惚中看到了父母Tom和Cheri驚慌失措的面孔。
術后的昏迷中,Bethany“看到”自己在蔚藍的大海中沖浪,巨大的浪花形成一個美麗的藍色通道,她站在沖浪板上,向著通道口的光亮滑去。醒來時,全家人都在病房里靜靜守候著。Bethany用右手伸向左臂處,發現那里空空如也,這才知道原來它真的不在了,原來剛剛那只是一場夢。
Bethany: Mom?
Cheri: Hi, sweetheart. I'm right here.
Tom: Hey. We're all here.
Bethany: It hurts.
Cheri: Okay.
Bethany: Dad, please don't cry.
Tom: I'm not crying.
Bethany: I'm going to be okay.
Tom: I know.
[Alana的爸爸Holt推門進來]
Holt: Hey there, kiddo. How're you holding up?
Bethany: Pretty good, thanks to you. I guess I ruined (毀掉) your surf shirt, huh?
Holt: Well, I never liked that one anyway. Why don't you just concentrate on getting better, okay?
Bethany: Thank you.
Holt: You were amazing out there. You were the one who kept me calm. You never ... you never let go (放棄). You are incredibly brave, Bethany.
直到此刻,Bethany仍舊沒有哭,而是平平淡淡地說it hurts,而是安慰自己的父親don't cry,而是和Holt開著玩笑想讓他們都不要擔心。看到這樣堅強懂事的女兒,父母的心里既欣慰又難過,連醫生都禁不住稱贊這個小女孩是個living miracle。
人要向前看,生性樂觀的Bethany深知這一點。她雖然躺在病床上,卻沒有沉浸于自我憐憫。她不僅鼓勵好友Alana繼續完成她們的夢想,不要因她放棄代言廣告的機會,而且還一心想著什么時候才能起來再去沖浪。Bethany堅信上帝一定會賜予她力量,家人的愛與支持也給了她最大的信心,正因如此,她才能勇敢面對現實,向往重新沖浪的時刻。
直面殘缺并不易
兩周后,Bethany出院了。此時的她才真正感覺到平常的生活對一個斷臂者而言是多么艱難。她不能用一只胳膊與家人一起準備晚餐,也無法再彈吉他。她已經不再是曾經的那個Bethany,難道從失去左臂的那一天起,之后的人生真的注定也是殘缺的嗎?父親說有公司要為她贊助假肢,她答應了。她多么渴望生活能夠和以前一樣,特別是能夠再次站到沖浪板上,在蔚藍的大海中乘風破浪。不過,在此之前,她必須學會適應獨臂的生活。
Bethany: That arm (指假肢) could not come soon enough. Because trying to make do (勉強應付) with only one, even harder than it sounds. I mean, fixing your hair is not exactly rocket science. Unless you've only got one arm. Then it might as well be a mission to Mars. Every day of my life, for as far back as I could remember, I was in the water. And now, I couldn't even put my bathing suit (泳衣) on. Almost everything seemed to be a challenge. But what scared me most was that I might not be able to surf again.
Bethany努力學著像以前一樣,自己去超市購物,為家人切水果、做果汁。她不需要同情,不需要憐憫,別人異樣的目光不會阻止她選擇堅強。只是,當醫生拆開紗布,當那可怕的傷疤赤裸裸地暴露在她眼前,看著鏡中殘缺的自己,心中的堅強開始瓦解。Bethany想起教會的牧師Sarah以前在一次教會活動中說過的話。
Sarah: So you see how hard it can be to make sense of things when you're looking at them really close? The same thing is true in life. So if you guys are dealing with anything that's just too hard to handle or doesn't seem to make much sense, get a new perspective. I want to share with you guys something that has really made an impact on my life. That's Jeremiah (《圣經·耶利米書》) 29:11. \"For I know the plans that I have for you,\" says the Lord. \"Plans to prosper you and not to harm you. Plans to give you hope and a future.\"
Bethany試圖像Sarah說的那樣,從另一個角度思考這場災難,卻還是想不明白,為何上帝要給她安排這樣的命運。她希望從Sarah那里得到解答。
Bethany: You know how you said it's hard to see things clearly sometimes when you're too close? Well, I've been trying to get some perspective. I've been really trying. [看著自己的斷臂之處,哭了] Sarah, how can this be God's plan for me? I don't understand.
Sarah: I don't know why terrible things happen to us sometimes. But I have to believe that something good is going to come out of this. I don't know what that is. I really wish I did. Come here.
Bethany不知道災難過后會有什么good thing發生,但她還是決定重回自己日日思念的大海的懷抱。在無數次失敗后,她又一次成功地站在了沖浪板上。看著家人為她歡呼,她感到前所未有的開心。Bethany找回了自信,決定繼續參加夏威夷女子沖浪比賽的選拔。
與此同時,假肢終于到了。可Bethany一試才發現,戴著假肢根本不能劃水沖浪!從希望到失望的落差如此之大,令Bethany一時無法接受,她忍不住難過起來。爸爸告訴她:“You don't need it to surf.”媽媽安慰她,維納斯即使斷了雙臂,仍舊是最美的。Bethany想著自己雖然失去了一只手臂,卻還能繼續沖浪,心情慢慢又好了起來。
失敗的巨浪砸來
在家人的鼓勵和支持下,Bethany開始了比以往艱苦很多倍的訓練。然而,當她信心十足地參加地區選拔賽時,卻發現事情并沒有想象的那樣順利。比賽中,她雖能站在小浪的浪頭馳騁,但在大浪的沖擊下卻根本無法起身。幾近絕望的Bethany在賽后把自己所有的沖浪板都送了人,決定放棄沖浪。
家人們焦急地看著心如死灰的Bethany,不知該如何安慰。爸爸Tom和媽媽Cheri為此發生了爭執,Cheri認為應該順從女兒的想法,Tom則堅持女兒應該繼續沖浪,否則Bethany將不再是Bethany。事后,Tom找到獨自坐在海邊的Bethany,與她談心。
Bethany: I'm done, aren't I? I can't even paddle (劃水) out to the line up past the big waves. I don't understand. What happened to ''I can do all things''? Why? Why did this happen? Why did I have to lose everything?
Tom: You didn't lose everything, Bethany, not even close. That shark didn't kill you. You're still here. You're still alive, with a family that loves you.
Bethany: What am I supposed to do now?
Tom: I don't know.
Bethany: Then how am I supposed to know?
Tom: When the time is right, you'll know. Until then, you pray and you listen.
Bethany: Listen for what?
Tom: For what comes next.
此時的Bethany并不懂父親讓她等待什么。她只知道自己經歷的災難讓人生陷入了低谷,卻不知道經歷別人的災難也能改變自己的人生。
用信念戰勝命運
印度洋海嘯過后,Bethany以志愿者的身份跟隨Sarah一起前去泰國災區參與愛心救助活動。站在災區的廢墟上,面對失去至親之人的幸存者,Bethany難忍內心的哀痛。這時她才發現,原來與他們相比,并沒有失去一切的自己是多么幸運。而Sarah也適時給予了她安慰和鼓勵。
Sarah: [對哭泣的Bethany說] It's all right. Don't be sorry for compassion, Bethany. It can move us to do amazing things. And it can help you get a new perspective.
聽了Sarah的話,Bethany更加積極地投入救助行動中。她發現當地的孩子們有很多沖浪板,卻從不下水。一問之下才知道,他們渴望大海,卻更怕大海。她決心幫助他們,想方設法將一個自閉的小女孩引到海中,帶她一起享受在海水中沖浪的快樂。其他的孩子看見后,也紛紛抓起沖浪板沖進大海。一時間,海中響起了孩子們歡快的笑聲,岸上也隨之響起陣陣掌聲。在幫助孩子們尋回快樂、找回希望的過程中,Bethany真正明白了父親和Sarah讓她等待的是什么。
Bethany: They say the Lord works in mysterious ways. I say that's an understatement (輕描淡寫的陳述). Who would have thought that teaching a kid to surf would teach me that surfing isn't the most important thing in the world? And that something else is—love. Bigger than any tidal wave. More powerful than any fear.
從泰國回來后的Bethany宛若新生,迎接她的是一捆一捆來自世界各地的粉絲的來信,其中很多人都同她一樣身患殘疾。大家都被她堅強不屈的精神所鼓勵,開始勇敢地面對自己的殘缺,做自己想做的事。原來,一個人的信念可以影響這么多人。在這些信件的鼓勵下,Bethany重返大海,在家人的幫助下開始了更為艱苦的訓練。
決賽中,Bethany竭盡所能,發揮出了最好的水平。雖然最后一次完美的沖浪沒有計入總分,她只得了第五名,但她已滿足,因為她已做到最好。賽后,Bethany為了那些受到她鼓舞的孩子們接受了媒體的采訪。
Journalist: Bethany, I just wanted to ask you, if you could go back to that day and not have gone surfing, would you do it?
Bethany: I wouldn't change what happened to me, because then I wouldn't have this chance in front of all of you, this chance to embrace more people than I ever could have with two arms.
連Bethany自己也沒有察覺到,原來她已經變得如此勇敢和從容,敢于直面傷痛過往,能夠從容面對人生。過去的災難已不再是災難,而成為一種無可比擬的寶貴財富。而Bethany已經從中獲得了強大的信念,用靈魂捍衛了生命的完整。從今以后,沒有任何困難能阻擋她前進的腳步。
Bethany: ... And I've learned that life is a lot like surfing. When you get caught in the impact zone, you need to get right back up, because you never know what's over the next wave. And if you have faith, anything is possible. Anything at all!