Starring: Annette Bening, Jodie Foster, Rhys Ifans, Dee Brady, Eric T Miller, Ethan Jones Romero
Distributor: Netflix
Runtime: 123 mins. Reviewed in Nov 2023
Reviewer: Fr Peter Malone msc
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The true story of Diana Nyad who, at the age of 60 and with the help of her best friend, commits to achieving her life-long dream.
A word of advice for anyone intending to see Nyad and is unfamiliar with the career of American swimmer, journalist and media personality, Diane Nyad: don’t look for any information about her and her achievements. Lack of prior knowledge will make viewing the film so much more interesting and exciting.
At the opening of the film, and several times throughout, reference is made to her surname – Nyad. It’s Greek and the traditional name for water nymphs. Diane Nyad saw herself destined to be a swimmer – although, it is later noted, that Nyad is the name of her adoptive father.
The film is worth seeing for the performances of the central characters. At the centre, and always demanding to be at the centre, is Diana herself (Bening, who very much resembling photos of Nyad). For decades, Bening has played a variety of roles, sometimes very strong women. This time she plays an exceedingly strong woman, not someone that most of us would actually like to meet in real life. Preparation for the role, and so many of the sequences within the film, must have been physically gruelling for the actress, who gives a totally committed performance, and is an actress not preoccupied by age or appearance.
The other performance worth seeing is that of Jodie Foster as her close friend, Bonnie. Filmgoers may realise that we have been watching Foster in films for 50 years, from young girl in movies and commercials through a range of feature films and directing career. She brings a deep humanity to her role, often exasperated, challenged, and always supportive.
And, speaking of performances, it is a pleasure to see Rhys Ifans as something of a crusty sea captain who is also an expert on tides and currents.
The film focuses particularly on the years 2010-2013 as Diane Nyad is turning 60. It is a portrait of ambition, determination, no holds barred, no apologies – until the end, some moments of grace.
There is an almost documentary look to the film especially in the training and the action sequences, rugged, endurance – with the directors being the husband and wife team, Jimmy Chin and Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi, who have built up a substantial reputation for documentaries of heroic physical exertion – Meru, three elite Himalayan mountain climbers; Free Solo, climbing El Capitan in Yosemite National Park without a rope and alone; and The Rescue, a documentary about the rescue of the Thai boys from the flooded cave in 2018.
Nyad is a portrait of a strong and determined woman, compellingly told.
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