"Nyad": A conventional biography of an extreme woman

This drama is far from a boring, uninteresting, and unwatchable movie. However, it is hard to escape the impression that a much more unusual directorial approach could have been used to portray the great feat of marathon swimmer Diana Nyad.

The main role of Diane Nyad was taken over by the extremely talented Annette Bening, and the never-disappointing Jodie Foster took on the role of Bonnie Stoll, her best friend and coach who guides her on her way to breaking an almost unreal record. On top of a stellar cast, Nyad was directed by Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin, who, following the success of the Oscar-winning documentary "Free Solo", will make his narrative debut in this drama. The script was inspired by Diana Nyad's autobiography, "Find a Way", and was written by Ann Biderman and Julie Cox.

The official Netflix synopsis reads: "When Diana Nyad reached the shores of Key West after 53 hours of grueling swimming across an epic ocean, she not only set a world record - becoming the first person to swim the shark-infested waters between Cuba and Florida without a protective cage — she also managed to fulfill a dream she first chased at age 28 and finally achieved at age 64!'"

Diana actually grew up in the world of competitive swimming and from her twenties she dreamed of swimming from Cuba to Florida without the aid of a shark cage. In the fifth attempt, at the age of 64, she finally realized her dream. In the trailer, see how Annette and Jodie make one hell of a team

However, it is difficult to escape the impression, when everything is added up, that the length of 120 minutes could have been compressed into an hour and a half. And let's not even talk about the fact that a much more extreme and unusual directorial approach could or had to be used to portray such a record. 

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Post By: Vanessa F.