Nyad is best described as an encouraging and inspirational true story about how age doesn’t define a person and you should never place limitations on your dreams, but its repetition hinders on its rewatchability. Led by two terrific lead performances by Annette Benning and Jodie Foster, the two place off one another naturally and have a relevant chemistry - their talents here are worthy of awards praise. 

 

Adapted from Diana Nyad’s autobiography, the story tells the remarkable story of how a 60 year old woman decided to accomplish her lifelong dream of swimming directly across from Cuba to Florida. Accomplished at such a young age, Nyad became a legendary name in the world of swimming but after a failed attempt in her 20s to make the 110 mile trek, she went into retirement. 

 

While the direction in the water is striking at times, there’s only so much static current a viewer can watch before getting a little tired of the experience. Not to say Nyad’s accomplishments.are dull, but from a bystander point of view, it lacks the necessary excitement. We get some wonderful intimate moments and flashbacks involving Nyad herself but we don’t learn enough about the 35 crew support she had by her side on every attempt. Jodie Foster is fantastic in the  role and fleshes out a rather flat supporting role. 

 

Now streaming on Netflix, you can experience this triumphant feat that should be an impossible task made possible by an unstoppable force. Powerful performances lift up a typical style of storytelling when it comes to true stories surrounding a sport but it’s fascinating nonetheless and transports us through a multi-year emotional journey to the finish line.