Diana Nyad didn’t know when to quit, which makes “Nyad” a fascinating look at someone who could have been relegated to the footnotes of swimming history.
An open-water warrior, she was determined to go from Cuba to Florida without a shark cage. There are plenty of “say what?” moments in the journey but Annette Bening, as Nyad, shows how the woman’s determination (in her 60s) kept her coming back for more sunburns, stomach disorders and exhaustion.
Bening taps into the never-say-die attitude repeatedly and captures why some thought Nyad was such a difficult person to embrace. She forces others to be on her side, even though her attempt is fraught with problems. The only one willing to buy into the dream is friend Bonnie Stoll (Jodie Foster), who makes sure she’s fed, encouraged and rescued. When Nyad talks nonsense in the water (she says she sees the Taj Mahal at one point), Stoll tells her to go for it. The methods she uses to keep the quest alive are the best part of the film. Getting into that athlete’s mind is what separates this from other sports dramas.
That could be because the directors (Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin) won the Oscar for their documentary, “Free Solo.” They know how to make the journey attainable.
Nyad’s setbacks (yup, they’re here, too) seem defeating, no matter how great the athlete.
Diana Nyad (Annette Bening, left) draws strength from her friend Bonnie (Jodie Foster) as she sets out to swim from Cuba to Florida in "Nyad."
While Rhys Ifans gets to be the reality check as her navigator, this very much hinges on the two stars.
Foster, in fact, gets the showier moments because she’s the one encouraging Bening to keep going. How you can sell that, when her charge is etched with sunburn, her body is disintegrating, her spirit is waning is remarkable. When Foster coaches her through the final leg, you can see her will passing to Bening. It’s a stirring moment that makes her feat even more noteworthy.
Those endless water scenes (save for weather situations) don’t scream interesting but the directors have interspersed Nyad’s journey with flashbacks and a hat tip to Greek mythology.
Jodie Foster, left, as Bonnie Stoll and Annette Bening as Diana Nyad in "Nyad."
That’s interesting, but the real footage (shown over the closing credits) has the crackle that isn’t consistent in the film that precedes it.
When the real Nyad is on screen, you can see how adept Bening is at capturing the terse tone. While “Nyad” fudges some situations and doesn’t really calculate the role doubters played, it is a strong look at the woman’s three-point plan. Never give up, she says.
And, “Nyad” shows how that makes chasing a dream possible.
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