The start of a new year means New Year resolutions for a lot of people. Set goals. Ambitions of various degrees of achieveability. And a general drive to push beyond your comfort zone; to do something new to bring spice to your life and break from routine.
If you need some extra motivation, an excellent starting point is biographical drama Nyad, the Netflix film currently in the running for two Academy Awards, as well as various other accolades.
Nyad tells the true story of Diana Nyad (Annette Bening), a former star swimmer who sets out to accomplish what is considered impossible – an unassisted swim from Cuba to Florida. The 110-mile trial defeated Diana in her twenties, but railing against getting older, as she enters her 60s she takes up the challenge again, believing she now has the mental fortitude to help her overcome obstacles like wildly unpredictable currents, storms, dangerous sea life and exhaustion-induced hallucinations. Diana is supported by her best friend Bonnie Stoll (Jodie Foster), who accepts the role of Diana’s coach.
A few minutes into Nyad, you realise the film is refreshing in multiple ways. It may hit all the narrative beats of an “underdog against the odds” sports tale but it takes the viewer into barely explored waters. While numerous male stars like Clint Eastwood and Sylvester Stallone, and characters like Indiana Jones, have appeared on the screen in various sunset adventures, that isn’t the case for actresses. When it comes to older women in leading roles (who aren’t Helen Mirren), you’ll either encounter a gritty indie production, or a glossy boomer ensemble like Book Club, which is far removed from reality. There’s nothing really that sits in the middle between those two entertainment extremes.
Nyad is the representation exception. The film is the rare opportunity to see physically accomplished sixty-something women looking their age – supported by credibly unglamorous make-up and hair styling. Oh, and these women are queer.
The film’s matter-of-fact approach evidently has a lot to do with Nyad being the feature film debut of award-winning documentary makers Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin. The pair bring an appreciably grounded tone and style to proceedings, and aren’t afraid to intercut their film with footage of real events instead of resorting to scene replication. While there are a few clumsy lines of dialogue to shoehorn in narrative facts that would otherwise go unexplored, Vasarhelyi and Chin avoid the usual Hollywood-style emotional manipulation.
So instead of soaring strings to telegraph audience response, emotional investment stems entirely from the Oscar-nominated performances. Again, audiences are treated to something rarely seen. Bening may not be acting against type, given what we’ve seen from her bold filmography, but her Diana is an unapologetic, sometimes strident figure. While Diana is understandable, Bening doesn’t try to soften her character’s instances of unlikeability. She’s all in, as a big part of Diana’s journey is the need for the over-achiever to acknowledge her superiority complex and self-centredness.
On the flipside, you have Foster as Bonnie, the best friend everyone wants in their life. Sensible but encouraging, Foster’s charm is dialled up to maximum in Nyad. It’s uncommon from an actress associated with so many serious, cerebral roles, and she seems to be relishing the opportunity to flaunt the sporty lesbian swag on display here.
Now Bening and Foster have understandably gained the most critical attention for Nyad but there’s a third performer completing the package – and they seem to have mostly gone under the appreciation radar. Rhys Ifans has played many a scruffy wild man in his career, but he’s arguably never been as affecting as he is in Nyad, playing rough-around-the-edges navigator John Bartlett, a man enticed by Diana’s dream while refusing to compromise his principles.
The events in Nyad may be propelled by Diana’s will but the film itself, and its audience, is carried along by the interactions of the three primary characters and the winsome performances behind them. As a result, you reach the finish line inspired and satisfied, without feeling like you were subject to clumsy puppeteering of your emotional response.
Nyad is on Netflix now, having debuted on the streamer on 3 November last year.
| Nyad review | |
Even if you’re unfamiliar with the real-life events that inspired Nyad, you kind of know how this biopic has to end, and narratively it does hit the expected beats of setback and success. That said, the film is refreshing on multiple levels, especially in how it keeps things grounded, avoiding the usual filmmaking elements used to emotionally manipulate, and instead investing and inspiring viewers through its deservedly acclaimed performances. |
8.5 |
| Nyad was reviewed on Netflix | |