Director Joachim Rønning puts Star Wars actress Daisy Ridley in her best role to date, although the mechanics of Jeff Nathanson’s script fail to enthrall audiences until far too late in the film.
Based on the 2009 book by Glenn Stout, it chronicles the true story of Gertrude Ederle, an American competitive swimmer who became the first woman to swim across the English Channel. Walt Disney Pictures has once again teamed with Jerry Bruckheimer Films to tackle this female-led uplifting story of empowerment. Unfortunately, the production struggles from two dimensional depictions and paint by the numbers scenes leading up to the actual swim which is quite compelling and revives the intrigue and emotional investment of the audience.
Here’s the trailer before diving into the spoiler review with full plot points analysis.
In 1914 New York, New York, we find a young Trudy Ederle who is stricken with measles as she learns about a burning ferry which left hundreds dead due to the lack of swimming skills among women. The choice of how this topic is brought up, and why they chose to include the measles plot beat are confusing… it’s a very jumbled opening to the film. Trudy’s mother, Gertrude, vows to have all her children learn to swim, though at this point it seems it will only be Meg and Henry Jr. as Trudy is given a death sentence by the old timey doctor who visits her.
Trudy comes down the stairs with her family asleep in the living room, expect that she passed away in the night. She’s suddenly better with no fever and she’s hungry. It’s an eye role moment… the first of several, but it does highlight an important fact which is Trudy is barred from water due to her medical condition, and swimming could rob her of her hearing permanently. It’s a big risk which adds nice tension to Trudy developing such a passion and fascination with swimming.
Her stern father, Henry, is written far too over the top in the early acts of the screenplay, and possibly casting could’ve added a more three dimensional performance as it feels like chewing scenery for most of the first ninety minutes.
When Trudy and her sister join the Women’s Swimming Association, we see them train the tutelage of Charlotte Epstein, played by the brilliant Sian Clifford (Fleabag). Clifford is a fine example of where casting the right actor gave a tremendous boost to the role as written on the page. Glaringly better than the majority of the other adult cast, as her interpretation of the role is rich and adds incredible depth and humanity just from the physicality of her posture and facial reactions.
Trudy is initially passed over for Meg by Epstein at Women’s Swimming Association, but she agrees to train Trudy as long as she shovels coal and continues to help with chores and upkeep. Trudy displays quick progress while shoveling coal and doing chores and at one point she’s able to race and the loser shovels the coal.
This set piece, led by Clifford’s Epstein, shows the coach warming to the young girl as the audience roots for her to win and leave her bully/swimming competitor to shovel the coal.
Over time, Trudy makes expeditious advances and earns a string of world records while Meg falls into her sister’s shadow.
In 1924, the American Olympic Union (AOU) reaches out for the 1924 Paris Olympics, only offering Trudy a spot. Subsequently, the U.S. women team are introduced to Jabez Wolffe, the film’s villain who is a failed male swimmer who feels unduly demoted to shepherding the women’s swim team. He is uniquely sexist in his treatment of the women, controlling their diet and not allowing them to properly train on the boat ride to Paris.
In reality, he purposefully set them up for failure, but the extent to which he will go to sabotage the female swimmers becomes truly villainous in Trudy’s case. Having unsuccessfully attempted to cross the English Channel, Trudy’s fascination with the task infuriates and emasculates Wolffe. Regarding the Olympics, Wolffe’s tactics, only Trudy only places… winning a bronze in the 400m freestyle. She returns to New York in disappointment and learns that Meg is engaged and living in quiet misery herself.
Trudy James Sullivan of the AOU to sponsor her attempt at crossing the English Channel. In one of the best scenes, when the film is starting to find its footing in this critic’s opinion, Sullivan offers to sponsor Trudy if she can swim from New York to New Jersey within a three-hour deadline, before he finishes his meal with a view of the coast. Trudy agrees to the challenge and leaves Sullivan in shock as she shows up shivering before he’s done eating.
Unfortuantley, Trudy is once again paired with Wolffe as her guide. Trudy trains at the Cap Gris-Nez, where she befriends Benji, another swimmer attempting to cross the 21 mile-long Channel. Benji becomes a friend, sneaking her proper food when Wolffe is not looking (the cruel coach has a fruit only diet for her).
A near-fatal attempt by Benji reminds audiences of the dangers of the swim, even for the fittest male athletes. Trudy embarks on her maiden attempt on 10 July, 1926 and initially does well, until we find out that Wolffe drugs Trudy by spiking her drink and she is forced to call off the swim.
Her father Henry and Meg visit her while she’s in recovery. The actor playing Henry brings more humanity to the role here, and again the film feels like its firing on all cylinders as opposed to the clunky opening with its many faults and lack of truth in its performances.
Henry and Meg are there to take her home; however, they are stopped by Bill Burgess (Stephen Graham), who offers to train Trudy as he believes in her and also knows the kind of man Wolffe is. Stephen Graham’s commitment to the role, supplying a refreshing energy as an outside the box athlete who sees Trudy for the talent she truly is. Graham also adeptly navigates the comedy in the film well, very much like Sian Clifford… these two came in with very clear visions for their characters and make the film better because of it.
After a family huddle, Trudy agrees and she board her boat to go home, but secretly looks the door and then jumps out the ship’s window and returns to prepare for another swim. In private, she makes Burgess promise not to save her should she fail again. It takes some time but on board the boat we see Sullivan discover Trudy’s not in her room. He notifies the press and when August 6th, 1926 arrives, Trudy begins the second attempt.
This time with Burgess, Henry and Meg as her guiding team and boy does it feel like electric on screen. It’s a shame that the film squanders so much of the first act as it really finds its way to a compelling finish here, there’s a strong emotional investment in all these characters and seeing Trudy succeed. Ridley, as Trudy, has never had a better chance to shine as an actress outside her genre roles.
With the press in tow, Trudy’s attempt is monitored worldwide, even by her mother who stakes out the nearby radio station for up to the minute updates. It proves to be a helpful narrative tool as the editor has something to cut to between swimming sequences and the “all is lost” script moment.
Trudy endures the stings of jellyfish by swimming directly through them, arriving at her “all is lost moment” — crossing the Goodwin Sands in order to reach England’s shore.
The Goodwin Sands have been widely discussed through the film, as no boat can follow the swimmer though, so it’s a solo mission with many opportunities to get turned around in the water and swim off course to one’s death. Trudy chooses to brave the swim alone, not giving up when she’s so close to the Dover shore.
As expected, Trudy gets lost and in a moment of strangers “coming together” (in the vein of Sam Raimi’s first two Spider-man films), the local townspeople light bonfires on the beach and the cliff as a guiding beacon for Trudy to swim toward.
Cinematically, Trudy is facing the wrong way for a good amount of seconds while the audience can see the fires burning behind her. It’s a great beat in the story, which makes us give a sigh of relief when she turns to see the fire and swims toward the shore to claim her record.
News of her success spreads, no one more proud than her mother when she gets the news in the radio station, which elates her. We also get a flash to former coach Epstein in her home, and we see the scumbag coach Wolffe looking miserable.
Upon her return to New York, Trudy is given a ticker-tape parade through the city, which she shares with her family and coach Epstein, who is once again a welcome sight on screen.
The closing of the film covers Trudy’s world record for crossing the Channel at 14 hours and 31 minutes, before eventually losing her hearing as part of the disease. Despite this setback, she taught deaf children to swim for many years before passing at the age of 98. The film hits all the right notes in the finale and lead up to the climax, however the flaws of the first two acts keep the film from receiving the same accolades as its true-life subject.
Letter Grade: B-