NYAD
Cert 15
120 mins
BBFC advice: Contains infrequent child sex abuse
Oh, I love a challenge.
After all, I have been trying to watch and review every film released since 2011 and am attempting to play all of the golf courses on four top 100 lists worldwide.
But I am obviously a pygmy by comparison to the indefatigable Diana Nyad - the long-distance swimmer who just wouldn't give up on her dream.
Nyad's obsession to cross the 103 miles of shark-infested sea from Cuba to Florida is the subject of Jimmy Chin and Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi's heroic movie.
It stars Annette Bening as the ultra-focused title character and Jodie Foster as Bonnie, her best friend and coach.
Meanwhile, there are occasional clips of the real-life adventurer spliced into the story.
Nyad had first tried and failed in the swim when she was a honed athlete of just 28 but refuses to accept that her age should be a barrier to another attempt more than 30 years later.
Thus, she persuades Bonnie to be on board and thy set about recruiting other essential members of the team.
They alight upon a no-nonsense navigator (played supremely by Rhys Ifans) who understands the fine detail of the sea and its weather systems.
However, the strait between Cuba and the Florida Keys is not plain sailing, metaphorically or literally and the weather conditions are fragile.
In addition, Nyad has to be in the very best shape, physically and mentally.
And she has to hope that she can avoid killer jellyfish as well as the sharks.
This is a story of never buckling in the face of adevrsity and following the adage "if at first, we don;t succeed, try, try again."
Nyad is tiresome in her determination to follow the mantra and tests her friendships and professional relationships by pushing herself and her team to the limits.
But, ultimately, her endeavour makes for one of the most intoxicating movies of 2023 and Bening's portrayal would be well worthy of recognition.
She gives as much to her performance as Nyad gave to her swim.
Reasons to watch: Riveting true story
Reasons to avoid: Diana Nyad's character is irritating
Laughs: None
Jumps: None
Vomit: Yes
Nudity: None
Overall rating: 8.5/10
Did you know? Annette Bening spent a year training as a swimmer to replicate a professional long-distance swimmer.
The final word. Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi: "This film is not about a record." She continued: "It’s about a woman who wakes up at 60 and realises she’s not done. And that woman has flaws. I think that if we were dealing with a man, people wouldn’t be picking on him quite as much." National World
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