Review of Nyad, directed by Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin

I had never even heard of Nyad until I, like so many other people I know, were shocked to see Annette Benning and Jodie Foster nominated for their roles in this film. I was watching the Academy Award nominations live and did a double take both times these names were announced, as I had no idea this movie existed.

And I watch a lot of movies, and was working as an entertainment journalist for a hot minute. This slipped completely out of my radar when it was released, so it was that thought at the back of my mind when I was bored one Friday morning and had a work meeting cancelled randomly.

I opened up my Netflix account and saw that Nyad was available to watch on Netflix, and that’s when I remembered the initial confusion I felt all those months ago when the Academy Award nominations were being announced on the tiny little YouTube screen I had pulled up.

So I did what I do best: I pressed play. And I watched this movie all the way through in one go, as I had nothing else to do anyways that day.

Let’s get into the review!

Diana Nyad tries again and again to have her historic swim from Cuba to Florida.

We begin this movie in 2010, when Diana Nyad, then 60 years old, decides she is going to try the one thing that she was never able to achieve before. She is going to swim all the way from Cuba to Florida, which is roughly 110 miles from coast to coast.

She tried this 30 years ago, but was never able to complete the swim. So now, she enlists the help of best friend (and former partner in life), Bonnie Stoll, to help her get to this point. She heads to Key West to train with Bonnie, then acquires navigator John Bartlett to help her out on her swim. Throughout her many attempts, we learn about her past and how she was sexually abused by her swimming coach as a young child.

The public thinks there is no way she is going to be able to do this because of her age, and Diana has decided not to swim with a shark cage. She’s going to use a Shark Shield instead. A year later, in 2011, she decides it’s time to swim the Florida Straits. However, the weather and ocean currents force her to stop.

Then, a month later, she tries again and is stung by a box jellyfish. She’s clearly struggling int he water, and then the medic jumps in to try and help her. He is then stung by the jellyfish, too, and needs to be rescued. They manage to rescue him and give Diana the shot she needs, but she insists on keep going.

Despite being injured, she persists, but is then stung again and falls unconscious. They bring her back onto the boat, and she’s taken to a hospital on land. Bonnie tells her that she doesn’t know if this is going to be feasible, and that everyone on the boat is risking it for her too.

Diana then asks for another try, and gets a special suit for protection against the jellyfish. In 2012, Diana decides to try again despite the weather not being right. A thunderstorm happens in the middle of the swim, and John’s boat begins flooding. Bonnie begs her to stop it, and Diana really doesn’t want to, but she eventually relents.

Bonnie then calls Diana selfish after she says she is going to try again. She quits. Time passes, and Diana eventually reaches out to John, who tells her he can’t do another try because of money. She also reconciles with Bonnie, but when Diana sees the news of the coach who abused her dying, she decides she needs to try one last time.

John comes back on, but he tells Diana he is ill and he thinks this’ll be the last opportunity. In 2013, Diana tries again. The currents are good, and the Shark Shield fails to prevent a shark from approaching. The team has to help her out, and hours later Diana is exhausted.

She starts hallucinating, so Bonnie jumps in the water to help her get through this. Diana does eventually make it to Key West, where a lot of people are gathered to watch. She then tells the press her advice, which is that one should never give up, age is nothing but a number, and it’s all about the team that gets you there.

Overall Thoughts

I feel like I’ve been watching a ton of movies lately that teach me something about a real person who did incredible real things, but the movie itself wasn’t the best. Like the acting was fantastic in this film, don’t get me wrong.

The directors are also known for the documentary work, and I could see that they knew what they were doing when it came to filming some of these scenes. That said though, I just wasn’t entertained by this movie, which is alright.

Sports films aren’t my thing, although I watch quite a few of them. I can see how someone else might love this movie though, so if you haven’t seen it and it interests you, go ahead and watch it!

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