The following is a review of the Netflix film Nyad, which does contain mild spoilers.
Nyad was directed by Academy Award-winning filmmakers Jimmy Chin and Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi. They are best known for winning the Oscar for Best Documentary Feature for the unforgettable Free Solo. This is their first narrative feature film, and it’s a good one.
To sell based on a true story like Nyad, you need a star not only to sell but also to embody the role. The story of Diana Nyad has that with Annette Bening, who gives one of the best performances of her legendary career. Bening’s turn is a work of breathless tenacity and great vulnerability.
Netflix’s Nyad Plot Summary and Review
The incredible true story follows Diana Nyad (Annette Bening), an established sports journalist who gave up the sport of marathon swimming decades ago. Now entering the twilight years of her life on her 61st birthday, Diana obsessively starts to think about righting a wrong.
At 28, Nyad attempted her first marathon swim from Havana to Key West. After two days and swimming 72 miles, the attempt was called off because strong currents began drifting the swimmer toward Texas. The failed marathon has haunted her for years.
Diana’s lifelong friend, Bonnie (Jodie Foster), is the athlete’s rock and serves as Nyad’s voracious conscience. Together, they find an eccentric navigator, John Bartlett (Rhys Ifans), who helps them stay on course to accomplish something no one has ever done before: swim 110 miles from Cuba to Key West without the help of a shark cage.
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Nyad’s Annette Bening’s Gives a Great Performance
The choice of directors may seem unusual. However, once you become immersed in Nyad’s struggle, the choice is obvious. Both dive headfirst into stories of the unparalleled dangers of incredible athletic feats. Just watch Meru and The Rescue and have your breath taken away. Chin and Vasarhelyi bring a documentarian’s eye.
You learn a significant deal about what it takes to prepare for such a feat of human capacity. From technology to keep sharks away, since the accomplishment was made without a cage, to equipment to protect from salt water and jellyfish. The details are fascinating.
Working from a well-structured script from Nyad and newcomer Julia Cox, Chin and Vasarhelyi build a reasonable amount of suspense. The filmmakers do an exceptional job highlighting the struggles. Then, even more so, when they drop the sobering reality of their efforts dashed by unforeseen circumstances.
Is Netflix’s Nyad Worth Watching?
Nyad is worth watching because of the authenticity of the storytelling and the incredible feats Bening accomplishes with mind, body, and soul. What makes Bening’s performance so interesting is that she’s not likable. Nyad is selfish, overbearing, and even arrogant.
Fortunately, Bening brings a full-dimensional arc to the role. She digs deep, finding the sensitive side when her defenses can no longer be raised. Along with Foster’s empathetic portrayal, both form a female bond that soars.
Lastly, the film doesn’t note that the accomplishment was never ratified because of a lack of documentation, conflicting crew reports, and no governing body at the time. This takes away much of the film’s power. However, most of us don’t hold story inaccuracies against Rudy to Hoosiers.
Nyad stirring and inspirational, which is a rarity in movies today.
Nyad is currently streaming on Netflix.
