Nyad

Nyad is one of those movies that when graded on the larger scale of all movies ever, is pretty middling. But for a WLW film, it’s above average.

The film is a biopic about marathon swimmer, Diana Nyad. 30 years ago, Nyad failed her attempt to swim from Cuba to Florida. In the present, Diana has just turned 60 and feels aimless and unfulfilled. So, after not stepping foot in the water for 3 decades, Nyad decides now is the time for her to finally complete that swim and set a record. She also enlists her ex turned best friend, Bonnie to coach her during this endeavour.

By the half-hour mark in the film, Diana is already starting her attempt. For most of the movie, the pacing is pretty good. Though in the 90 minutes the film spends on Diana’s attempts, it does drag a bit long. Part of the issue is just that it covers four attempts. Admittedly, that’s just what happened in reality. But it does sort of mess with the fictional rule of threes. Moreover, the issue becomes that something new goes wrong each time. Other than the perpetual presence of box jellyfish, the film’s key villain, it’s always a new problem that stops Diana. By the fourth attempt, when the anti-shark technology fails and they see a shark swimming towards them, I was a bit tired of this perpetually new worst case scenario for a marathon swim.

I call Nyad middling because this is a pretty by-the-book inspirational sports movie. Nyad struggles, Nyad overcomes. Everybody claps. The beats are all things you’ve seen before, in incredibly similar movies to this one. Additionally, as a character, Diana lacks a decent arc. She’s a chilly perfectionist who believes she’s always right. And most of the movie is just validating that point of view. Ultimately, everyone comes around to Diana’s side and way of thinking, as opposed to her ever really recognizing and changing these parts of herself. Admittedly, because this is a biopic, that does feel more acceptable. I don’t think real-life Diana Nyad suddenly stopped being a bossy perfectionist following her marathon swim. So, realism in fiction, I guess.

What makes the movie above average, especially for a WLW movie is the performances and the representation. You may notice that Nyad has two Oscar nominations. And those nominations are both for acting. That’s because Jodie Foster and especially Annette Benning are great in this film. Benning finds the depth and the levels in a character who could be extremely one-note. On top of that, this is obviously a physically impressive performance from Benning. Jodie Foster admittedly, could’ve done her performance in her sleep. She plays a fairly regular, even-tempered middle-aged lesbian. Not exactly a reach for her. But that doesn’t mean that in Foster’s hands the role is bad. Just that Foster didn’t have to go too far afield to make this character feel like a real person.

I really respect how Nyad portrays older women. Frankly, I’m surprised and impressed this movie about Diana Nyad chose the 60+ year-old version instead of making a biopic about when she was young in the 1970’s. Cinema already doesn’t make a lot of space for older women. And especially not a woman like the athletic, gay, unfeminine Diana Nyad. I don’t know if it’s makeup or a lack of makeup that let Annette Benning achieve the look she had in the film, but it’s great. Diana is the opposite of glamorous. What Diana is, is powerful. Her age allows her additional experience and expertise in her other interests like linguistics. And while part of the story is about Diana dealing with aging as a hardline perfectionist, the film ultimately shows how incredibly powerful you can be at age 60, perhaps even more so than at age 30.

Nyad’s focus on Diana’s sexuality is extremely limited. A failed flirtation and a reference to she and Bonnie being exes is about all we get. But that seems fitting given the subject matter of the film. I really don’t think Diana Nyad was thinking a lot about sex or dating during the events that make up the film. What the film focuses on instead is the incredible achievement of an older woman. Yes, the film hits a bit too many sports movie cliches. But it is ultimately an uplifting film about the power of older women and features a very impressive lead performance from Annette Benning.

Overall rating: 6.6/10

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