Nyad (2023)

Jimmy Chin and Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi | 2hr

It may just be a coincidence that swimmer Diana Nyad’s surname translates to “water nymph” in Greek, but that doesn’t stop her from reminding every second person she meets of this connection. Her destiny is written into her very being, she believes, and there is very little that can shake her focus from the objective that has eluded her for over thirty years – to swim the 110-mile strait between Cuba and Florida without a shark cage. She had failed once before at the age of 28, and now in her 60s the disappointment still hasn’t faded, relentlessly pushing her forward with passion and grit to become the first person to accomplish this feat of remarkable endurance.

Coming from the world of documentaries, Jimmy Chin and Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi have specialised in subjects who test the limits of their physical capabilities, whether it is the mountain climber of Free Solo scaling El Capitan or the cave divers saving the Thai soccer team in The Rescue. With its basis in the true story of Diana’s extraordinary achievement, Nyad makes for a natural leap into narrative filmmaking for the husband-and-wife duo, playing to their strengths by cutting in newsreels and talk shows from her youth. While much of this archival footage is a disheartening reminder of Diana’s initial failure, the voiceover of her younger self also delivers inspiration, driving her onward with reminders of her unique strength.

“The whole key to success in marathon swimming, masochistic as it may seem, is the person who succeeds is willing to ensure the most pain in the most number of hours.”

She may not readily admit to it, but Diana is also a woman who is deeply and sentimentally attached to the past, which Nyad further develops in its dreamy flashbacks. Even beyond her frustration in her previous let-down, she holds onto the memory of her father’s idyllic adoration of Cuba, and the PTSD of her sexual abuse at the hands of her childhood swimming coach. “I hate victim shit,” she spits, trying to brush off the lifetime of pain it has caused her, and yet it is virtually inseparable from the tenacious, self-punishing perseverance that pushes her on.

It is fortunate then at least that Diana has her long-time coach, best friend, and platonic soulmate Bonnie by her side, offering her the holistic care and concern that she is unwilling to give herself. The rapport between Annette Bening and Jodie Foster in these roles is compelling, revealing several decades worth of camaraderie in their blunt honesty and deep knowledge of each other’s idiosyncrasies. When Diana rates a pain in her shoulder as a 6 out of 10, Bonnie knows very well that actually equals “a normal person’s 8,” and so too does she realise that fabricating a story about authorities declaring the swim to be impossible would make her friend dig in even deeper.

There is no understating the role that Bonnie plays in her journey. Although Diana is the swimmer, Bening and Foster are effectively co-leads in Nyad, striving towards a common goal with equal passion. While Diana suffers a great deal physically and mentally, Bonnie bears an enormous emotional toll, realising that she is encouraging her friend’s death wish and receiving little recognition for her efforts. Still, the bond they share is undeniable, often returning to a comforting motto of reassurance and fortitude whenever insecurity begins to creep in.

“Onward.”

Through the danger of sea creatures, allergic reactions, and dehydration, Diana and Bonnie keep this maxim at heart – if not on a physical level during several more failed swims, then at least mentally. That willpower is their strength after all, and what Diana especially relies upon with an older body that has weakened since her youth. At times the obstacles they come up against are a little too clearly contrived for the sake of plot, and it doesn’t help either that the sharks are rendered through shoddy CGI. Instead, the ocean often feels far more perilous in those eerie night sequences where Diana’s rope light sheds an eerie red glow within the darkness, revealing the beauty and terror of the world she is seeking to conquer.

Somehow though, it is still those final miles that are the most difficult to overcome, propelling both Diana and Bonnie to the brink of absolute exhaustion even as the destination comes into view. Nyad may be straightforward in its underdog tale of struggle and success, but it earns these emotional beats well through its visceral, physical danger. For Diana, destiny is nothing more than a matter of tenacity and patience, driving one’s body to its extremes simply to prove that it can be done.

Nyad is currently streaming on Netflix.