‘NYAD’
NYAD, the new biopic now streaming on Netflix, hits on every feel-good, sports drama cliché you can think of, and yet I loved it anyhow. That’s largely thanks to two powerhouse performances from Annette Bening and Jodie Foster, who star respectively as the real-life swimmer Diana Nyad and her coach, Bonnie Stoll. The movie tells the true story of Nyad, a long-distance swimmer who achieved her life’s dream of swimming from Havana, Cuba to Key West, Florida in 2013 when she was 64 years old. But the real story is the relationship between Nyad and Stoll. It’s not a sexual relationship, but it’s undeniably a love story—including a romantic speech from Foster that will stick with me for years. In a world where older actresses are relegated to playing moms of 30-somethings, it was a breath of fresh air to see these two masters delve into these rich, complicated, and flawed characters.