In a pitch meeting, it’s easy to see the appeal of Diana Nyad. Surely her great story would easily translate into a great movie.
In 2013, the 64-year-old became the first person to swim from Cuba to Florida without the protection of a shark cage. She made the 110-mile journey from Havana to Key West in 53 hours.
Nyad’s successful completion of this arduous task came after four previous failed attempts, including her first when she was 28. Her perseverance was celebrated worldwide, and she remains a sought-after interview subject and motivational speaker.
Now. she’s getting the inspirational biopic treatment. Netflix’s Nyad retells her amazing feat with the help of two huge stars: Annette Bening in the lead role and Jodie Foster as her coach, Bonnie Stoll. The timing of the release of Nyad is not a coincidence. Netflix likely will be gunning for Oscar nominations, in particular for Bening and Foster.
However, it takes more than brand-name actors and rich source material to create a compelling film. Nyad falls into familiar patterns and does its lead character an injustice. This version of an inspiring tale fails to inspire. Bening’s Nyad is driven but is reduced to a simple narcissist, antagonizing everyone around her. Perhaps the real Nyad was like that, but we never really get to see what lies below the surface.
Instead of detailed character development, we get flashbacks of a dysfunctional family and sexual abuse from a coach. The audience doesn’t gain a complete understanding or appreciation of her compulsion. She’s a one-dimensional character with as much depth as a cardboard cutout.
Who is to blame? Bening is a four-time Oscar nominee. Her last Academy Award-recognized role was in the excellent The Kids Are All Right (2010). However, even great actors sometimes hit the wrong note. It’s more likely that the screenwriters (Julia Cox and the real Nyad) and directors Jimmy Chin and Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi let Bening down.
Vasarhelyi and Chin are best known for winning the Best Documentary Academy Award for Free Solo. They are familiar with athletes who push themselves to the limits in dangerous situations.
But directing a feature film versus a documentary is different. Actors often require constant guidance. A little more direction would have helped. It’s a shame because from a physical perspective, Bening put in the work. She reportedly trained for over a year and looks the part.
What is remarkable about Nyad, is Foster’s performance. She is by far the most fascinating person in the film. Foster delivers much-needed energy in every scene right from the start. The two-time Oscar winner hasn’t appeared in a lot of movies lately. This is only her third feature in almost a decade.
Some of the best scenes of Nyad occur when Foster’s Bonnie and Bening’s Diana fight. These delicate but effective verbal joustings seem like real friends in a real argument. Unfortunately, there are just not enough of these moments.
Even the climactic ending doesn’t quite land. While visually well done, there is a lack of any emotional upswell. As an audience, we feel as fatigued as Nyad with a sense of relief that it’s over.
The movie steers clear of any mention of the controversies in Nyad’s life. That includes questions surrounding the legitimacy of the Cuba to Florida swim. This past September, the World Open Water Swimming Association again declined to certify the swim.
Biopics are not documentaries, so sometimes details don’t always line up with the facts. Regardless of what you believe, the Nyad story deserved a more riveting representation.
