TIFF 2023 | Movie Review: "Nyad" Succeeds With Stellar Performances From Annette Bening and Jodie Foster
11/12 ForReel Score | 4.5/5 Stars
A number of biopics are making their way through the film festival circuit, vying for attention and consideration before entering awards season. But of these projects, Nyad has the potential to be the most compelling. This story of friendship and resilience is the kind of quality filmmaking that can captivate audience attention from start to finish and in the end, procure that sense of inspiration a great feel-good sports drama deserves.
At 60 years old, Diana Nyad (Annette Bening) decided to challenge herself to swim across the long and treacherous waters between Cuba and Florida without a protective barrier. She enlists the help of her best friend Bonnie, played by Jodie Foster, and a sailing team to help her accomplish the task. But, even excessive training can’t prepare Diana for the difficulty that she’ll encounter in these waters, and a number of failures begin to put a strain on her health and her friendships.
Image courtesy of TIFF
Diana embarks on five attempts to make the crossing, and with this number of repeated tries, it could’ve been easy for Nyad to become too repetitive. But the film keeps each attempt engaging, filling in the times between each attempt with crucial context. It’s a film that’s exceptional at presenting the risks of this challenge and allowing audiences to emotionally invest themselves into the stakes - not only with the execution of the swimming challenge, but with the sustainability of the valued interpersonal relationships.
And that leads to the most remarkable component of the movie, which are the film’s leading ladies. Annette Bening and Jodie Foster offer phenomenal performances in this film. Bening is excellent at portraying the headstrong personality of Diana, and Foster is equally as dedicated to balancing how to be a coach and support system with how to be a good friend. And it’s the scenes when they’re together that are some of the most entertaining interactions between characters we’ve seen in films this year.
Diana’s final attempt is harrowing, and all of the ups and downs throughout the film lead to a conclusion that earns its sense of satisfaction. Just like the athlete herself, Nyad is a remarkable film and in a year full of noteworthy biopics, this film is a triumph among them. We’ll see if Bening and Foster can come out victorious as well this award season.
Acting/Casting - 2 | Visual Effects and Editing - 2 | Story and Message - 2 | Entertainment Value - 2 | Music Score and Soundtrack - 1 | Reviewer’s Preference - 2 | What does this mean?