Nyad Movie Review
Annette Bening reminds us of her undeniable talent as compulsive long-distance swimmer Diana Nyad in Nyad. Benning is wonderful as a determined swimmer who defied adversity to swim from Cuba to the Florida Keys at the age of 64. She made several attempts as she had to dodge sharks, jellyfish, and the weather. Jodie Foster is also very good as her friend and trainer Bonnie Stoll. Although Foster’s role isn’t particularly compelling, the chemistry between Foster and Bening is one of the film’s strongest elements. Directed by Jimmy Chin and Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi (who also made the sweaty documentary Free Solo and the excellent film Rescue), Nyad is well made and does a good job of portraying the challenges faced by the swimmers. are doing. It’s not the most exciting sports drama, partly because long-distance swimming is largely a solo sport (the boat always has a crew flowing alongside), but it’s well-made.
Kudos to the makeup team as well, who did a great job of making Bening look like shit, even worse after being exposed to the elements. Nyad is a story of personal accomplishment, but it’s a missed opportunity for Benning to dig deeper. The swimming depicted here has been met with controversy. I’m not interested enough to research it in depth, but of course her swimming raises questions. Wouldn’t it have been more interesting (but probably not as interesting) to see how Nyad would react and perhaps fight against her own detractors? Nyad is a worthy little film with a great performance from Bening. Nyad is a worthwhile little film with a great performance by Bening. It comes short of being a must-see, but still serves as a strong portrayal of an incredible feat most of us wouldn’t even think about doing in the first place.