Stories of grit, courage and determination make for good movies. Then again if the protagonist is of age 60 plus and the challenge is to swim for 103 miles in shark infested waters ( without a shark cage) the scenario is definitely super. It is a story of daring, fearlessness and fortitude displaying triumph of the human spirit. Here a 61 year old lady Diana Nyad ( Annette Bening) decides to swim across the sea between Cuba and Florida as a challenge. Friends and well wishers try to dissuade her due to the dangers involved but she is stubborn and has clearly made up her mind. She selects her friend Bonnie ( Jody Foster) to be her coach. Her strong willed determination can be gauged from the fact that she had attempted this exercise at age 28 and failed. Now at 61 she attempts it again. When asked to do it with a shark cage she vehemently opposes and says that her achievement shouldn't come with an asterisk.
The movie is fairly gripping and the scenes of her swimming in the rough sea have been brilliantly done with some awesome cinematography. The use of music and songs help to lighten the mood. The director duo have captured the essence of the audacity and danger of the situation. Acting of both Annette and Jody is high class. Their rapport, ego clashes and arguments keep the tempo going. No surprises if they get awards. Worth mentioning is Nyad's statement on completing her mission. She says " 1. Never ever give up 2. You are never too old to follow your dreams. 3. It looks like a solitary effort but it's actually team work."
The movie is fairly gripping and the scenes of her swimming in the rough sea have been brilliantly done with some awesome cinematography. The use of music and songs help to lighten the mood. The director duo have captured the essence of the audacity and danger of the situation. Acting of both Annette and Jody is high class. Their rapport, ego clashes and arguments keep the tempo going. No surprises if they get awards. Worth mentioning is Nyad's statement on completing her mission. She says " 1. Never ever give up 2. You are never too old to follow your dreams. 3. It looks like a solitary effort but it's actually team work."