Review: Nyad

Nyad tells the story of Diana Nyad (Annette Bening), a long-distance swimmer and sports broadcaster, who, at age 60, decided to pursue her dream of being the first person to swim from Cuba to Florida in the open ocean, a distance of 110 miles. She had tried and failed in an attempt when she was 28 but, at 60, felt her mental toughness would make it possible. The film chronicles multiple attempts to reach this goal over several years with the assistance of her friend-turned-coach, Bonnie Stoll (Jodie Foster), and a team of experts who helped with specialized aspects of the swim, such as repelling sharks and jellyfish, navigation, and nutrition.

Even though I knew historically how the film would end, there was a lot of dramatic tension inherent in the telling. I also gained a new appreciation of the hazards involved and the amount of training and behind-the-scenes work involved in a project of this magnitude.

I am not a swimmer – or athletic in any way – and greatly respect those, like Nyad, who can accomplish such amazing feats. Kudos to Annette Bening and Jodie Foster, both of whom trained extensively in order to portray Nyad and Stoll, both of whom are accomplished athletes. The film does not use body doubles; Bening is doing the swimming, even in the most extreme segments.

I also appreciated that Bening and Foster insisted on not being “touched up” so that they appear as women in their sixties portraying women in their sixties. As a woman in my sixties, I appreciated that.

I also appreciated the sense that women in their sixties are mentally tough and ready to take on challenges and achieve life goals. Also, that we have learned a lot about ourselves and about life over the years and that we are (usually) ready to be part of a group to accomplish whatever it is we want.

Even if you are not a woman in your sixties like me, I think you would benefit from watching this film, which is currently streaming on Netflix and may be in theaters in some markets. It is appropriate for teens and adults.

(Image is an official poster for the movie through fandango.com)