‘Nyad’ Directors Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin on Star Annette Bening, Jodie Foster and Navigating a Watery Shoot
variety.comCarole Horst Oscar-winning doc makers Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin chose an appropriate subject for this move into traditional narrative feature: Diana Nyad, the athlete who swam from Cuba to Florida in 2013 at the age of 64.
The “Nyad” directing duo won an Oscar for rock climbing doc Free Solo in 2019, and earned much critical praise 2015’s “Mero” and 2021’s “The Rescue” (which, even though it’s not an extreme sports movie, does feature physical acts of courage and daring).
Nyad burned with a passion to complete the swim, a feat that she had to abort four times before; her first time in her twenties.
So at an age when most people are planning retirement, she planned a hundred-mile swim. Nyad, played with stunning conviction by Annette Bening, was greatly aided by her friend and coach Bonnie Stoll (Jodie Foster as the quiet heart of the movie) and ace navigator John Bartlett (a wonderful Rhys Ifans).
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