Insubmersible

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.

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.

In a day and age where most movies are steeped in cynicism, there's something oddly refreshing about Nyad. Yes, parts may be clunky, it may take a while to get going, and it doesn't reinvent the biopic formula, but it's still an ultimately successful crowdpleaser.

In terms of its inspirational story, Nyad follows a pretty straightforward plot of the titular characters attempts to swim from Cuba to Florida. This underdog/triumph of the human spirit storyline is by no means new, but it's handled here with honesty and care. The start of things is rough-the first actual shot of Bening as Nyad is almost unintentionally funny, and it's pretty obvious that the actors are not totally comfortable with their characters early on. But, much like Nyad herself, the movie gets better over time as the technical quality improves and the actors are able to flex their skills, and by the end you're cheering right alongside the crowds for her success.

Diana Nyad, as a figure, is quite complicated. There's no doubt that she's has some incredible achievements, but she's also been reported as self-centered, dishonest, and in general rather controversial. Walking in to Nyad, I feared that the filmmakers would opt to completely gloss over this to be more simple (and palatable to Oscar voters), but thankfully this is not the case. The movie chugs along with its traditional empowerment story, but along the way there's tension between Nyad and her companions as her arrogance threatens to derail the swim. A lesson about "the power of teamwork" may seem cliche, and to an extent, it is. But the movie's exploration of the way perceptions change based on your own humility adds an interesting texture to the proceedings that not all filmmakers would seek to include.

One of the most talked-about things regarding this movie is the acting, and for the most part, it delivers. Annette Bening as Nyad is thoroughly convincing and able to sell this rather idealistic yet egocentric woman without being totally unlikable, and the physical strength it must have taken to perform the swimming is impressive. It takes a while for her to fully warm up to the role, but once she does it's a strong turn. Bening had a job and she delivered.

But the star of the show here is Jodie Foster. She imbues her character with so much personality and life force that she disappears into the role and is easily the best part about the whole film. Foster's not given amazing dialogue to work with, and yet through sheer talent, she pulls the movie together to craft a complex portrait of a woman torn between dedication to her friend and her own self-actualization. If nothing else, watch this movie for her performance.

In the age of streaming this is exactly the sort of thing to fall under the radar were it not for awards season, but it has more heart than most film's you can find on Netflix. This is not an incredibly well-made movie, but it doesn't need to be. The core thing that makes a story like this work is the emotional impact, and it delivers. Nyad's an imperfect but satisfying film, uplifting and well-acted enough to be worth a watch.

Finally score: 68/100.

I love Annette Bening and Jody Foster. Both great actresses. But this movie was lacking. I think it mainly had to do with the writing. The Nyad character was just too quirky, with too many quick comebacks. I'm sure the real Nyad is a quirky character, but it was grating on film. Maybe it was just Benings portrayal. It's the first time I actually thought she did a poor job.

Both Bening and Foster were presenting real human women, which was refreshing. Bening isn't a spring chicken anymore and neither is Foster. And they both let the realness show through, wrinkles and all.

Again, incredibly inspiring story. But a so-so film.

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.