Insubmersible

Long distance swimmer Diana Nyad (Annette Bening) was a minor celebrity back in the 70's and 80's. Bonnie Stoll (Jodie Foster) is her longtime best friend and fleeting lesbian lover. It's 2010 and Nyad is drifting to her 60th birthday. Despite not doing big swims for the last 30 years, she decides to tackle her failed swim from Cuba to Florida when she was only 28. They hire local expert John Bartlett (Rhys Ifans) to guide them through the difficult currents.

It's the true story of Nyad who is allegedly the first to swim the Florida Strait unassisted. Married couple directors Jimmy Chin and Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi do mostly documentaries of extreme adventurers. They are dipping their toes into bigger budget fares and this one has some big name actors. Annette Bening is striped down and is not afraid of looking ugly, both outside and inside. Nyad is not the most cuddly character. Jodie Foster is simply magnificent. She is way over-qualified to be second banana. Rhys Ifans rounds out the big three. The movie follows the standard sports movie profile. I would put more of her swim during 28 year old in the opening act. They need to accentuate her failed swim which would make her decision that much more compelling. This movie has one big surprise laugh and I wouldn't mind having more. Most of all, I love the relationship between Diana and Bonnie. It helps to have two great actresses playing these lived-in characters. They make this standard sports movie come alive.

The joy of watching all of the Oscar nominated films and performances is that it forces the BankofMarquis to watch a film that might, otherwise, disappear into the ether. Many a hidden gem is uncovered in those viewings.

Such is the case with NYAD. Both Annette Bening and Jodie Foster are Oscar nominated for their performances as swimmer Diana Nyad and her Coach and Friend (not lover) Bonnie Stoll - and both richly deserve it.

NYAD tells of the time, later in her life, where the 60-something Nyad attempts to be the first person to swim from Cuba to Key West, Fl. It was a dream that the then 28-year-old Nyad tried (and failed) to accomplish, so in her 60's, she decides to conquer her "Moby Dick". It is a powerful story of personal triumph over insurmountable challenges.

2x Oscar winner Foster is, surprisingly, nominated for the first time since 1995 and her portrayal of Stoll is fierce, strong and heartfelt. In another movie, this performance would be viewed as the strong central force that drives the film forward. But this is not another movie.

For the performance of Bening as NYAD is on another level all together. It is the 5th Oscar nomination for Bening and this performance, perhaps, is the best of her career - and that's saying something. Bening trained for over a year so that a "swimming double" would not be needed - and that is all well and good - but it is the emotional depth, passion and pure determination of soul that Bening imdues the character with that has the real-life person jump off the screen.

Add Bening's performance to Foster's performance - and add a dash of the always interesting Rhys Ifans in a low-key, grounded, performance as John Bartlett (the boat captain that plotted, re-plotted and adjusted Nyad's course) - and NYAD is a riveting watch.

What makes it all the more astonishing is that these strong performances - and the emotional depth that this film provides - as brought to the screen by first-time film Directors Jimmy Chin and Chai Vasarhelyi. You can see the passion that they bring to the screen for this project and it is photographed beautifully. What holds the film back, just a bit, is the directors' obvious love of the material, so the camera lingers just a little too long at times and some scenes go on just a bit too much (at one point, I wanted to shout at the screen "okay...I get it...she's determined") but these are quibbles on a fine character study/drama.

Checkout NYAD for the human drama and the marvelous performances by Bening and Foster, you'll be glad you did.

Letter Grade: A-

8 Stars (out of 10) and you can take that to the BankofMarquis.

This movie will tug at your heartstrings as it truly has an inspirational ending. I vaguely remember this news story back from 2013, and frankly the subject matter itself does not lure me in; instead I tune in because of Jodie Foster and Annette Benning. So that proves that those two acting legends are a wise choice for this production. Annette Benning's commitment to portray Diana Nyad with all her might almost equals the level of commitment and almost-insanity that Nyad herself exhibited during her quest to do the long-distance swim in her 60s. Jodie Foster further adds that extra layer of poignancy with her intense performance. I am glad for having seen the movie, but this feels more like a solid, uplifting documentary that happens to be reenacted, as opposed to a movie made to entertain you.

Nyad is an incredible true story told in a pretty standard biopic fashion. It's a testament to never giving up, showing that there's still so much to be accomplished in later life but what helps this film really swim instead of sinking in a sea of similar competition is the two screen icons at the centre of it all.

Annette Bening has a physically demanding role that she embodies convincingly and equally impressive is how she makes Diana Nyad self obsessed without being irredeemable. Jodie Foster is superb, it's always so nice when she comes back and the chemistry between them is really strong.

It's built on Foster's constant support and the moment it's pushed to a breaking point that leads to the most satisfying moment with Bening gaining a newfound appreciation for others' sacrifices. Rhys Ifans has truly found his shtick, adding another gruff character with a heart of gold to his back catalogue.

Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin do a good job of merging the style of their documentaries with a more traditional biopic. It's only the more surreal moments that don't really work but they're still visually exciting and something a little unique in something that's mostly operating on the well worn formula.

As "Nyad" (2023 release; 121 min) opens, we see news footage from the mid-late 1970s when marathon swimmer Diane Nyad sets several marks. We then go to "Los Angeles, August 22, 2010" and Nyad decides that she is going to try and swim from Havana to Key West, even though she is now 60 and she failed in her earlier attempt 30 years ago... At this point we are less than 10 minutes into the movie.

Couple of comments: this is the latest from Oscar-winning co-directors Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin ("Free Solo"). Here they look at another extreme sport (marathon swimming) but rather than doing a documentary about Nyad, they decide to do a biopic recreating the events. I very much respect the co-directors, and have seen most of their movies. That said, the movie succeeds mostly because of Annette Bening's fearless performance. Yes, Jodie Foster is good too, but nowhere near the level of Bening, sorry. There is also a pleasant original score, courtesy of Oscar-winning Alexandre Desplat. There are several things I didn't like about the movie but since they related to "plot', I'll remain silent and you can figure it out yourself.

"Nyad" premiered at the Telluride film festival a few months back, to good critical acclaim. After a one week US theatrical run in selected cities, it started streaming on Netflix last weekend. If you are in the mood of an extreme sports film or simply a fan of Annette Bening or Jodie Foster, I'd readily suggest you check this out, and draw your own conclusion.