NYAD

An interesting film on multiple levels. It is a story about women for women.

Academy Award-Winning Filmmakers Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin follow their dazzling climbing documentary Free Solo (2019) with this great story of the first person to swim from Havana, Cuba, to Key West, Florida. You watch Diana Nyad complete this fantastic journey in 53 hours at the age of 64.

Annette Bening gives an unforgettable performance as Ms. Nyad. Having failed to accomplish this feat as a 28-year-old in 1978, Ms. Bening captures her physical skills decades later. She should challenge for Oscar consideration.

Adding to the genuine joy of watching this film are great performances from Jodie Foster as Nyad’s friend and Coach Bonnie Stoll and Rhys Ifans as the ship’s navigator John Bartlett. The relationship of Nyad and Stoll is a colossal demonstration of a woman’s experience trying to achieve an incredible accomplishment. It is a reminder that Ms. Bening has had four Oscar nominations while Ms. Foster is a two-time Oscar winner.

The film explores both Ms. Nyad’s past where she was sexually abused by a coach as a young woman and actual footage of her in her later years. The directors also have the courage to not dodge the lesbian background of both female stars.

As the film concludes you are left applauding the gigantic achievement of Ms. Nyad as a 64-year-old swimmer. In addition, you could only admire the assistance provided by both Ms. Stoll and Mr. Bartlett, who was suffering from an illness that would kill him a year later.

So to all of you, particularly you women, see it and you won’t be disappointed.