Young Woman And The Sea – Review

Everything about Disney’s latest crowdpleaser Young Woman and the Sea feels old-fashioned and familiar; but that doesn’t make it any less powerful. Movies like this typically hit similar narrative flourishes to captivate the audience so how well they work comes down to execution. Directed by Joachim Rønning from a screenplay by Jeff Nathanson adapted from the 2009 book of the same name by Glenn Stout; the film will have you compelled by the life of Gertrude Ederle (Daisy Ridley) and all she overcame to become the first woman to swim the English Channel. Much of what will have audiences compelled and cheering is the performance of Ridley. In fact, this is arguably her best performance to date.

Throughout the film, Ridley’s Ederle, called Trudy, has the odds stacked against her. She’s the daughter of German immigrants who has to battle and survive childhood illness, but the sexism of the period proves to be a bigger adversary. She wants to do all the things that boys get to do such as boxing and stickball but she’s only allowed to partake in swimming, this is over the objections of her father Henry (Kim Bosnia). How Trudy is allowed to learn how to swim also has shades of sexism as she’s really only allowed to do it once her mother Gertrude (Jeannette Hair) makes the argument that not even women should have to drown to death.

Although Trudy initially comes up short in the sport compared to her sister Meg (Tilda Cobham-Hervey) on the all-girls swim team, she ultimately becomes a world-class swimmer, breaking various records in the process before getting an invite to the 1924 Olympic Games. This should be a big moment for Trudy but her coach Jabez Wolffe (Christopher Eccleston) does whatever he can to sabotage the women’s team, resulting in a lack of training to truly allow his female swimmers to succeed.

As played by Ridley, Trudy never fully shows a defeatist attitude. She may get knocked down for a moment, and her spirit shows some cracks, but she picks herself back up again. The tenacity in Ridley’s performance instantly makes Trudy worth rooting for. It’s important for the audience to be invested in her because following the debacle at the Olympics, Trudy decides that she has to make a strong case that women belong in not only this professional sport but any they set their mind to by swimming the English Channel. This is something only a few men have achieved in history, and Trudy wants to prove that her gender won’t prevent her from doing the same.

Much of the film’s inspirational core comes from the sweeping score by Amelia Warner and top-notch cinematography from Oscar Faura. Young Woman and the Sea is a beautiful-looking film that serves the period it’s taking place in well while giving the audience the sense that they’re right there with Trudy every step of the way. Every shot is captured with visual zeal and maximum impact while the score captures all necessary moods. It’s meant to build tension, inspire, and ultimately make the viewer feel just as triumphant as Trudy by the end of it.

While Ridley does much of the film’s heavy lifting, she is capably supported by the rest of the cast. Hervey also puts in good work as Trudy’s sister, and she and Ridley share a realistic sisterly bond that makes their scenes work. Hain also shines as their mother, showcasing a parental figure that allows viewers to see where they, especially Trudy, obtain the drive to beat the odds. Also stealing a fair share of scenes is Stephen Graham, who plays Bill Burgess, a fellow swimmer who was the second person to swim the English Channel successfully. The character is wonderfully outrageous but also gives Trudy a proper coach who wants to help her make her goal a reality.

The interesting thing about Young Woman and the Sea is that this was intended to be a Disney+ release before positive test screenings made Disney decide to give the film a theatrical rollout. That being said, it still feels like the movie is being thrown into the summer movie season without much fanfare. It deserves more than that because Young Woman and the Sea is the kind of film we need right now. Something meant to inspire and make the audience feel like they can accomplish anything they set their minds to.

Young Woman and the Sea opens in limited release on May 31.

For more Reviews, make sure to check back to That Hashtag Show.

Keep Reading:

Hit Man – Glen Powell And Adria Arjona Are Electric [Movie Review]