Young Woman and the Sea

This movie was unbelievably good and I cried through the entire last 30 min . The story is one of perseverance and guts , sacrifice and valor and of the power of allowing yourself to be different and fight .

First of all I cannot believe I had never heard this story before - I am a HUGE sports fan and this has slipped through the cracks . The story sticks very closely to truth with some artistic liberties taken but for the most part - it remains true to the original . The message and feeling and moral is true and the feeling is true . It is so easy to forget how much sacrifice and drive and challenging of society went into the opportunities that we as women and girls have today in sports because of women like this and she was able to do it because of the strong women around her - this movie made me thankful and humble .

The casting was awesome and so was the character development . Loved the whole family and you hated the "villains " the chemistry between sisters and that bond really made the movie and Ridley was great . Both "Eppy" and Trudy's mom were hard core women and then were courageous and authentic .

The best scene in the movie involves Meg helping Trudy and realizing not every dream is the same and you can live yours and accept life happily and also support those around you .

My only complaint comes in that it felt a bit ... juvenile ? Low production quality ? Not the best script writing / dialogue specifically ? I am not sure but I loved it regardless and will watch it again and again.

Swim towards the light and remember " there's no place like sports "

Think of a list of movies coming out nowadays that are perfectly family friendly, make a strong point, have almost universal emotional appeal, and are actually good. It's not a long list, but this movie is surely on it.

The story may seem formulaic at first, but that formula works wonders for a reason. The heart of this movie bleeds through its rich emotion and clever direction. The ensemble cast provide a strong blend of timely humor, intense rigidity, and admirable courage.

Chiefly, Daisy Ridley's performance is nothing short of masterful.

This movie might have suffered from a bad marketing strategy as I fear not many will see it for lack of knowledge of its existence. What a shame.

This movie is everything you want in a movie. Moving, engaging, well paced, funny, meaningful, important, and impactful. What a great, great movie.

I left the theater thinking Young Woman and the Sea will win best picture. Either the story of Gertrude Ederle is just that good, or the director has created a masterpiece, lightning in the bottle, whatever you want to call it. Daisy Ridley brings us a brave, if not slightly insane, young woman who through circumstance, bad luck, and bad people, managed to persevere. In a way, it was like the movie Gravity, but in 1926 and out at sea; and Gertrude also had to deal with the sexism of the time. A line out of the movie, "I'm saving up for a telephone." When asked why, he answered, "I don't know. I just want one." So old-timey yet very much today. Everything this movie did, worked.

In a logical, reasoned sense I know that Young Woman & The Sea is not a 9/10 star film. It is a Disney-fied family drama that sometimes features cringe-worthy dialogue or tropes. But if the purpose of the cinematic experience is to tug at the heartstrings and invoke strong emotional reactions, one almost cannot be helped to be sucked into the flick.

For a very basic overview, Young Woman & The Sea tells the story of Trudy Ederle (Daisy Ridley), a rare female swimmer in 1920s New York who would first represent her country in the Olympics and then attempt to be the first woman to swim the English Channel. Inspired by sister Margaret (Tilda Cobham-Hervey), mother Gertrude (Jeanette Hain), and pushed by coach Lottie Epstein (Sian Clifford), Trudy must not only show her physical aquatic prowess but also overcome the sexism of the times by handler Jabez Wolffe (Christopher Eccleston) and even father Henry (Kim Bodnia).

The biggest thing Young Woman has going for it is that it is hitting cinemas at an absolute perfect time, what with Caitlin Clark (and others) inspiring a wave of appreciation for female stories revolving around sports. That isn't to minimize the film's ability to invoke emotion, however, as director Joachim Ronning and writer Jeff Nathanson craft a solid narrative here. It is well-shot (the swimming scenes are a delight), full of forward momentum, and consistently shows the obstacles placed in young Trudy's path simply by dint of her gender and how she hurdles practically all of them.

Ridley is also perfect for the lead role, channeling her Star Wars success nicely here. For Young Woman to work, audiences need to be fully emotionally invested in Trudy's struggles and triumphs, and Ridley has no trouble getting those emotions across.

Going into the movie, I was worried it would be a schmaltzy Disney family flick-and it certain ways it very much is. This isn't a hard-hitting, in-the-weeds, serious prestige drama. While it covers all the requisite issues Trudy's story entails, it does so with a coat of varnish to make it enjoyable for all audiences.

But in the final reckoning, other than a few cringe-worthy dialogue moments, Young Woman & the Sea was so emotional and inspirational that it consistently won me over-especially the final act (and even closing credits) that reference the real-life Trudy to cement the story's grounded nature. Such investment makes it hard to dislike this film.

I enjoyed this movie and I recommend it to everybody who wants to enjoy 2h of a very very good movie. This is the story of Trudy, a woman who defied all boundaries to prove to the skeptics that she was chosen, gifted with the ability to swim as swiftly as a marlin. Trudy Ederle's persistence and determination became a testament to the heights a human being can reach. She battled the treacherous waters of the English Channel, overcoming not only the physical challenges but also the doubts of those who believed such a feat was beyond her capabilities. Through relentless training and an unyielding spirit, Trudy shattered records and made history, showing the world the true power of human perseverance and fortitude. Hero!