Nyad

Image credit: themoviedb.org

There is so much in this great, wide world. So much culture, history, facts, stories, jokes, relationships, people, places, and dreams. It’s impossible for one person to know it all, and it is impossible for one person to fathom, understand, and absorb it all. While we as a species have made some truly epic blunders, catastrophic mistakes, and unbelievable cockups over the course of our history, one thing we have done right is the telling, sharing, and recording of stories; true stories, fantasies, dreamed stories and everything in between. Literature and cinema are my two favourite things to come out of our species, aside from maybe food. And I just finished watching a movie that reminded me of this: Nyad.

Diana Nyad (Annette Bening) is a retired marathon swimmer whose life has lately been missing the drive, excitement, and adventure of yesteryear. Shortly after her 60^th birthday she decides to start training again so as to finally achieve her dream of swimming 110 miles from Cuba to Florida – a feat she attempted thirty years ago but was forced to abandon. With her best friend and coach Bonnie (Jodie Foster) by her side, Diana assembles a team as crazy and driven as she is, and she braves sharks, jellyfish, fierce currents, and physical and mental exhaustion to prove that you are never too old to achieve your dreams.

What an amazing story and it has been made into an amazing film. This feature debut from Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin not only chronicles the life achievements of an amazing woman who used her indomitable spirit to combat the limitations of age, but it’s a beautiful and inspiring look into the importance of relationships at every stage of life and a reminder that the Aged still have voices that can and will be heard.

A biographical sports drama, the film flicks back and forth between the current narrative and the context of Nyad’s past. These contextual scenes use genuine footage and commentary from interviews and media broadcasts of Nyad’s achievements and, mixed in with some interpreted and reenacted scenes from Nyad’s childhood, does a magnificent job of show-don’t-tell, giving the audience all the dramatic context they need without having to spell it out and make a big scene out of it. It’s all very tasteful and it sets the rhythm of the film beautifully.

Image credit: popternative.com

Then we have the performances from Annette Bening and Jodie Foster; two incredible actresses who are the perfect cast choice for this film as they are both strong women achieving great things past a certain age, especially in an industry that makes it hard for women to do that. Bening leads the charge with command and charisma, but it’s Foster that really gives the film its beautiful and heartwarming edge. She’s so lovely and down-to-earth and yet so captivating in her depiction of unwavering and fierce loyalty and friendship; she is definitely the heart and soul of the film.

Filled with ambition, drama, loyalty, and love Nyad is a gorgeous film that tells an incredible story.

Director: Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi & Jimmy Chin (2023)

Cast: Annette Bening, Jodie Foster, Anna Marie Kempf, Johnny Solo, Eric T. Miller, Anna Harriette Pittman, Hanler Rodriguez, Carolyne McCormick & Rhys Ifans