I’m not generally a fan of inspirational sports-themed dramas. I know Disney has been making bank off them since Remember the Titans way back in 2000 (back before star Ryan Gosling was a household name, by the way). But as someone who isn’t an athlete or a sports fan, I generally just don’t see these movies. But I’m very glad I saw Young Woman and the Sea. And I’m very glad it’s getting a theatrical release rather than a streaming one.
Young Woman and the Sea is actually a pretty winning movie. It’s not without its flaws — and I’ll definitely deconstruct those fully later, but it’s hard to watch a movie like this and not be swept away by the inspirational story of young Trudy Ederle, the first woman to swim across the English Channel. There’s a component to the drama that actually feels pretty epic. And you get caught up rooting for the underdog, the same way you would watching a film like Rocky.
The movie chronicles the early life and arguably greatest accomplishment for Ederle. Originally depicted as sickly, after barely surviving measles in 1914, Ederle defiantly pushed back on everyone, from her parents to her coaches, to dedicate herself to the passion of swimming. Little did she know she was on the path to greatness, accomplishing a ton on her journey to swim the English Channel. The film depicts not only those massive feats, but also the spirit of love and encouragement from her loved ones; in particular her sister Meg Ederle, her mother, her first swim coach, and (eventually) her father.
There’s a lot to like about this movie. In fact it won me over at the end. The best thing about it is how thrilling the third act is. Watching Ederle overcome all the odds — physical and social — is so rewarding. Seeing her swim through hordes of jellyfish, darkness, strong currents, and brisk freezing waters is, interestingly enough, almost as thrilling as any car chase you’d see in Furiosa. It’s because they really get you to love this character.
This is largely due to the wonderful and charmingly optimistic performance from Daisy Ridley, whose flawless American accent seamlessly goes with her bright eyed determination. In addition to being strong, she’s also subtle. And though a lot of this movie is heavy handed, the quiet but fierce demeanor at which she carries the role of Trudy is instantly likable. She gives you someone real to root for, without ever pan handling for an Academy vote. It’s also a physically demanding performance for the leading lady, as we find her immersed in grueling swim scenes from her very first introduction to the final act. Now, is this a performance we’ll be talking about come Oscar season? I’d honestly be skeptical. But if nothing else, it’s worthy of a Golden Globe nomination, and showcases Ridley’s range of talent outside of “Rey Skywalker.”
Ridley is also joined by a terrific ensemble of strong female performers, including Tilda Cobham-Hervey (Hotel Mumbai) as Meg, Jeanette Hain (The Reader) as Trudy’s mother, and Sian Clifford (Fleabag) as Charlotte, Trudy’s first swim coach. All of them really embody the spirit of female empowerment that gives Trudy the push to stand up against societal biases and inequalities. There’s also a fun, memorable performance from Stephen Graham (Rocketman, The Irishman) playing the outlandishly wild Bill Burgess — a real life swimmer, and one of the few to swim the English Channel before Trudy — who has a proclivity for swimming in revealing swim attire.
If there’s one major issue that Young Woman and the Sea has, it’s the script by Jeff Nathanson (Catch Me If You Can, The Lion King (2019)). This is a movie that’s meant to be about female empowerment, but is written by a man who knows nothing on the subject. And before you get on me about being “too woke,” the reason that this is an important factor is because, from the dialogue to the message, the intent ends up being incredibly obvious and heavy handed.
There’s not one scene in the first two acts of the film that doesn’t outright spell out to the audience the sexist and condescending demeanor of a phallic-centric society at the time (and let’s face it, today too). The dialogue literally has its characters flat out telling Trudy that she can’t do something multiple times, and most of the time, stating it’s because of her gender. Because of that, it feels pandering and disingenuous when it should feel organic. I’m all for persisting the film’s messages. But if it feels too performative, the message loses its impact and the film becomes preachy, which much of this movie does.
That’s not to say that a female screenwriter couldn’t also be as equally capable of writing a heavy handed screenplay. But at least they’d know how to write dialogue for female characters so they feel like real women. And, I imagine, this would arguably feel more organic and less forced. I just have a hard time believing Nathanson would know what a female character would really have to say from personal experience, especially given most of the conversations he’s written into the film feel so on-the-nose.
Now maybe someone may take an example like Barbie and call the epic speech America Ferrera gives in the movie heavy handed. But personally, I felt the reason it worked was because it spoke of the real experiences of what it’s like to be a woman in society from someone who would actually know what it’s like — Greta Gerwig herself. For as much as many won’t want to admit it, there’s so much honesty and sincerity in that speech, which we cannot dispute. That’s clearly why the movie was nominated for Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Supporting Actress at the Oscars. Whereas the dialogue coming out of Trudy, Meg, their mother, or any veritable number of characters (female or otherwise) feels like some dude saying “this is what a female human being would sound like! Yeah!” And it couldn’t be further from the truth, which is a disservice to this being a real life historical event and accomplishment.
Now hypocritical as it may seem, while I feel this movie would have benefitted from a female director, I was okay with the epic feel Joachim Rønning gave to the movie. Does he make the film feel cliched at times? Absolutely. But I can’t deny that the inspirational aspect is there. There’s heart to this movie, and hope. Rønning’s approach to the swim scenes and the nature of the physical odds Trudy is up against, truly add a spectacular sense of tension and unpredictability to the third act.
In fact, if Rønning’s approach to the full film matched how he approached the final act, it would elevate this movie from “good” to “great.” Thankfully, because he sticks that landing strongly, the movie ends up being very good. But everything preceding that final act feels a little perfunctory. Like he watched every underdog movie from Rocky to Seabiscuit and repeated those scenes with a faux-feminist angle. Does it set us up for success in that third act though? It does, and for that reason his direction ends up being mostly a win.
The other aspect of the movie that I found utterly breathtaking was the sweeping score from Amelia Warner. My goodness! Her melodic ear for winning, powerful, emotional music is simply perfect for this film. It’s delightfully playful when it needs to be and booming and inspiring during the film’s most tense sequences. I was so utterly impressed, I thought this may have been the work of veterans like Thomas Newman or Hans Zimmer. Warner’s score feels iconic and triumphant all at once, making each moment of Trudy pushing her way through the waves feel effectively palpable and grand. Truly excellent work on her behalf.
The production design and costume design are also very impressive, as is typically the standard for period pieces like this. The collaboration between production designer Nora Takacs Ekberg and Ivan Ranghelov on the set direction and design truly immerses you in the time period of the 1910s-‘20s. Everything from the Ederle home and their family butcher shop defines their household situation without the need to really address it with the audience. The costumes also feel incredibly authentic, really making the audiences feel like they’ve been transported to the past. Details like this mean so much in terms of making us understand the challenges apparent for women and people of color during this time.
Overall, Young Woman and the Sea defies the odds of having a male-driven, heavy-handed script to ultimately become a charming, inspirational, feel good movie. I can see this one really playing well with the audiences that will see it, as there’s a lot of emotion, a lot of thrills, wonderful music, and terrific performances in this one.
This may not be a blockbuster of the Deadpool variety that Disney needs right now, but it’s refreshing to actually get an original release that actually inspires us with genuine emotion, and reminds us of the power of persistence and dreams!
Overall Score: B+