Director: Jimmy Chin and Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi
Starring: Annette Bening, Jodie Foster, Rhys Ifans
Running Time: 120 minutes
Synopsis: In 2010, Diana Nyad (Annette Bening) is turning 60 and still rejecting mediocrity. A record-setting open-water swimmer in her younger days, Diana had one failed attempt to swim the 110 miles between Cuba and the Florida Keys when she was 28. No one has ever successfully completed the 53-hour swim, and now Diana decides to try again. Her best friend Bonnie Stoll (Jodie Foster) reluctantly agrees to act as coach, and they recruit crusty mariner John Bartlett (Rhys Ifans) and his boat as their support vessel. Diana is strong-willed, but overcoming exhaustion, dehydration, hallucination, sharks, jellyfish, and manowars will be a near-impossible challenge.
What Works Well: Based on real events, the story of Diana's incredible determination to attempt a daunting physical challenge at age 60 packs considerable power. The Julia Fox screenplay wraps the swimming quest in a cozy blanket of friendship between Diana and Bonnie, while a father's dream and a potent trauma from Diana's years as a young competitor surface in impactful snippets. Annette Bening succeeds in turning a self-absorbed and single-minded character into someone worth cheering for, while Jodie Foster (the best friend destined for a secondary role) and Rhys Ifans (the grizzled Cuba-Florida water currents expert) offer able support.
What Does Not Work As Well: Only so much drama can be squeezed out of scenes featuring a woman in the water, and a shorter running length would have helped with the pacing.
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