Nyad

I resume my marathon reviewing of this year's Oscar nominees with Nyad, the biopic of a marathon swimmer. Diana Nyad's epic swim from Cuba to Florida took her five attempts over thirty-five years before she succeeded in 2013. Her accomplishments have since been disputed for a variety of reasons. Nevertheless, this biopic, which Julia Cox adapted from Nyad's memoir Find a Way for Elizabeth Chai Vaserhelyi & Jimmy Chin (Free Solo) to direct, is still a compelling sports film.

Diana Nyad (Annette Benning) once tried to make the epic swim in 1978. She decides to try again shortly after she turns sixty-one in 2010. She appoints her best friend and former partner Bonnie Stoll (Jodie Foster) as her coach. They hire a crew captained by John Bartlett (Rhys Ifans) to help Diana along the way. They finally take off in August of 2011, but her attempts are thwarted by raging currents, thunderstorms and even jellyfish. Diana's stubborn refusal to give up strains her relationships with her crew, Bonnie especially. She still needs their help if she's going to live to survive her epic swim. That pretty much sums it up.

There are plenty of reasons to like this movie, and Benning's performance is just one of them. Diana simply can't "succumb to mediocrity," as she admits early on, which makes her drive quite understandable. Her determination sometimes gives way to egotism, which is most apparent late in the film. Her fourth swim is hit by a thunderstorm which nearly sinks her crew and threatens to wash her away. We may want her to succeed, but we can't agree with her wanting to persist during the storm. She proudly admits to having a superiority complex when she subsequently quarrels with Bonnie. It's still nice when she apologizes to Bonnie and Bartlett for her self-centeredness. Her coming ashore on her successful attempt makes for a rousing finale. 

Another reason is Foster's performance as Bonnie. Bonnie and Diana have such great chemistry together and almost feel like an old married couple (they aren't). When Diana tells Bonnie of her plan, Bonnie is surprised, but is still willing to help her friend out. That includes pulling Diana out of the water when things get too hectic. Her rage over Diana's self-centeredness later on is more than understandable. She's Diana's voice-of-reason, but she still has a life beyond her. Indeed, if you want a reason why both Benning and Foster got Oscar nominations, then look no further than that argument. Their ultimate reconciliation is quite rewarding even if it feels like a typical story beat.

They have a good on-screen crew. Ifans as Bartlett makes for a gruff, yet sensible sea captain, and another good voice of reason for Diana. Dee (Karly Rothenberg), the silent helmswoman, will surely surprise you with her one and only line. The crew's protective protocols are quite interesting to learn about and are made thrilling by a few close calls. Johnny Solo shows up in flashbacks as Diana's stepfather, Aristotle Nyad, who teaches her to take pride in her family name. He also storms out of her life for reasons the film never really explains. Eric T. Miller also appears as Diana's abusive coach, Jack T. Nelson, the film's most reprehensible character.

Diana's swims utilize some great visual effects and ocean cinematography from Claudio Miranda. The thunderstorm that hits the penultimate attempt looks and sounds pretty real. Her previous swim, in which she's stun by jellyfish, even getting knocked cold by the second sting, is equally harrowing. That swim and the climactic one even have some trippy hallucinations. Benning herself is rendered unrecognizable under Diana's sea-worn appearance (how did the makeup team get ignored?). Alexandre Desplat's stunning score accentuates the beauty and the peril of Diana's swims, while the soundtrack includes a few good oldies. 

Nyad is an excellent biopic helmed by two great stars, both of whom earned their spots on this year's Oscar ballots. Its subject's accomplishments have been doubted, but I don't think you'll doubt how rousing its two hours are. It's simply that good. See what I mean when you check it out on Netflix. That's where the next film on my docket is playing. Check that out later this week.