The movie Nyad, from 2023, is a biopic about Diana Nyad, a long-distance swimmer who, at age 64, swam 110 miles from Cuba to Florida. Her long-time friend and coach, Bonnie Stoll, accompanied her. Nyad features excellent acting from stars Annette Bening (Diana Nyad) and Jodie Foster (Bonnie Stoll). They fill the roles of the people they play so well that they seem like the real people, like how Annette Bening could swim long distances. The makeup department, including makeup artist Ana María Andrickson, did very well with realistic makeup artistry, especially for Annette Bening. The music department, including composer assistant and music programmer Romain Allender, made the music suspenseful and added sound effects that strengthened the film.
Nyad is nominated for two Oscars this year: Actress in a Leading Role (Annette Bening) and Actress in a Supporting Role (Jodie Foster).
Annette Bening did a great job portraying the meaner and more selfish side of Diana Nyad, which worked well in enhancing the film. Nyad often only thinks about herself and doesn’t realize the impact of her aspirations on the people around her until later, which leads to a complex relationship between Diana Nyad and Bonnie Stoll. Stoll felt like Nyad was thoughtless in her continued attempts to keep going. There was one time, after a few swim attempts, when Nyad wanted to try again, but Stoll refused to go along with her at first.
Also, Annette Bening spent a year training and learning to swim long distances, which proved invaluable in the film.
The movie also included many flashbacks to childhood memories from Nyad’s past. It showed moments from her swimming career as a high schooler, as well as references to sexual harassment by her former coach. The flashbacks help show that Nyad’s fierceness and anger relating to her childhood memories strengthen her aspirations and goals as an older woman. These flashbacks are helpful, and it feels like they belong. They help the viewer understand the older character by bringing childhood events to light.
Annette Bening did a great job portraying the meaner and more selfish side of Diana Nyad, which worked well in enhancing the film.
A drawback of the film was that it was a bit repetitive throughout, which may have been the point or inevitable with the story. However, the repetitiveness was not enjoyable because the multiple swim tries seemed similar and blended together. However, this was the only downside to Nyad.
The movie used visual effects to enhance the storyline. One example was that for every swimming attempt, there was a dramatic jump as Nyad plunged into the water. A timer started in the corner of the screen, showing the time it would take before she would arrive in Florida. The movie, at times, showed Nyad’s hallucinations after being in the ocean for a long time. One of her hallucinations was following the yellow brick road to the Taj Mahal, and the visual effects of this were convincing. The movie fully submerges the viewer into Nyad’s internal experience.
The movie spotlights a complicated bond between two queer older women, which is something not seen very often in films. A lot of movies are about men or include a lot of men. This movie portrays older women as strong, fierce, and unwilling to give up, contrary to other movies. One example showing the bond between the older women is when Nyad has hallucinations about the yellow brick road and the Taj Mahal. Stoll goes along with these hallucinations, knowing they are coming.
The set that the movie was shot on was compelling. Nyad was filmed in a massive pool in the ocean in the Dominican Republic. The directors, Jimmy Chin and Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi, had to get every detail exactly right and were able to accomplish that. One example was that the movie featured realistic backdrops, such as Key West being shown in the distance when Nyad was swimming in the water.
Also, the makeup was quite realistic and was effective when showing how being in the water for long periods impacted Nyad and the sting of a horrible, almost deadly, box jellyfish.
Other than the repetitiveness, Nyad was a fantastic film. It captured the extraordinary story of Diana Nyad very well, using realistic acting, engaging visual effects, and believable makeup artistry. It also gave a great message that people should never give up on their dreams, no matter how often they fail. This message was powerful, coming from an older woman doing something no one had ever done before.
Rating: ★★★★
