Young Woman and the Sea, 2024.
Directed by Joachim Rønning.
Starring Daisy Ridley, Tilda Cobham-Hervey, Stephen Graham, Kim Bodnia, Jeanette Hain, Glenn Fleshler, Sian Clifford, Christopher Eccleston, Ethan Rouse, Olive Abercrombie, Lilly Aspell, Raphael J. Bishop, Alex Hassell, Alexander Karim, Sebastian Griegel, Doc Butler, Yordan Angelov, Robert Eades, Hyoie O’Grady, Devina Vassileva, Tessa Bonham Jones, Vanina Yordanova, Saskia Vinkhuyzen, Velizar Binev, Mariyan Stefanov, and Cat Haave.
SYNOPSIS:
The story of competitive swimmer Trudy Ederle, who, in 1926, was the first woman to ever swim across the English Channel.
Covering roughly 21 miles, men deemed only themselves capable of crossing the English Channel – an arm of the Atlantic Ocean connecting France and England – via swimming. Set post-World War I, sexism existed in sports to such a propagandist degree that even if a woman could accomplish something incredible and awe-inspiring, men would do everything they could to downplay or stop the news from spreading and potentially inspiring other girls. We see this behavior firsthand in director Joachim Rønning’s Young Woman and the Sea, which charts Trudy Ederle’s (a determined and defiant Daisy Ridley) 16+ hour swim across that body of water, a goal she chose to take on following women, including herself, not being taken seriously (receiving no time to practice for the Olympics) or getting the recognition they deserve even from setting records.
Trudy’s sister Meg (Tilda Cobham-Hervey) gives up on a swimming career and settles for an arranged marriage, exclaiming that men will never allow them to succeed or shine on a grand stage. In this regard, Young Woman and the Sea is blunt when pointing out such sexism and almost certainly has some embellishments along the way to elevate dramatic tension. Even though she is right, this is not a subtle film, which sometimes works against it.
Perhaps more frustrating is that the first half (courtesy of a screenplay from Jeff Nathanson, based on the book Young Woman and the Sea: How Trudy Ederle Conquered the English Channel and Inspired the World by Glenn Stout) follows the Wikipedia filmmaking template, trying to elicit tears in the opening moments covering a young Trudy’s fight against measles, immediately overcoming projected death. It is also such stark contrast from the riveting second hour chronicling the perilous journey across the English Channel (involving jellyfish, a thick fog forcing her to go at it alone without supervision for the home stretch, and the expected high tides) that generates an earned emotional response. This film should be used to teach others the difference between emotional manipulation and merited emotion since it has examples of both.
The one constant throughout is the solid performances, namely an exceptional Daisy Ridley who is up to the physical challenge and believably conveys resistance to being reduced to a footnote in sports history. Born to German immigrants and living in New York, Trudy Ederle’s father, Henry (Kim Bodnia), staunchly opposed allowing his daughters to swim, wishing to prepare them for housewife life instead. Their mother, Gertrude (Jeanette Hain), occasionally pushed back against his conservative ways, insisting that it would be good for them to learn how to swim alongside their brother Henry Jr. (Ethan Rouse) as a disastrous, tragic ship-related incident that took the lives of many women which could have largely been avoided if they knew the basics of swimming.
After winning a swimming-related bet to earn sponsorship for the upcoming English Channel crossing event, the deck is stacked against Trudy, with men disapproving of her bringing along personal coach Charlotte Epstein (Sian Clifford.) Instead, she is saddled with the sexist former swimmer Jabes Wolffe (Christopher Eccleston), a man who was never successful in crossing the English Channel and who doesn’t want to see a woman accomplish what he couldn’t. As Trudy gets off to a promising start, Jabes morphs into a more complex character, seemingly struggling between developing respect for her talent and endurance while clinging to that bitter and jealous mentality.
Meanwhile, Trudy’s father begins to understand how special his daughter is. Eventually, he takes one of her first-place ribbons out of storage and silently cheers her on while listening to the radio reports. After a failed first run for reasons I won’t spoil, Trudy begins practicing again under the coaching of Bill Burgess (Stephen Graham), who has successfully crushed the English Channel and believes she can also do it. The dynamic between them is strictly about respect and marks the first time a man does respect Trudy’s abilities.
To address what might be on the mind of some, yes, Nyad told a similar story less than a year ago, but that one is more about pushing back against ageism rather than sexism. One shouldn’t be overlooked because of the other.
Once Young Woman and the Sea settles into crossing the English Channel, it becomes a far more focused film in terms of characterization and inspiring narrative momentum. The script smartly knows how to pay off relationships with those closest to Trudy, each giving her additional motivation. Following that bloated and questionable first half, this is effective and immersive filmmaking, bolstered by a rousing score from Amelia Warner and anchored by a driven, uplifting Daisy Ridley.
Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★ ★
Robert Kojder is a member of the Chicago Film Critics Association and the Critics Choice Association. He is also the Flickering Myth Reviews Editor. Check here for new reviews, follow my Twitter or Letterboxd, or email me at MetalGearSolid719@gmail.com
