Diana Nyad, the lesbian sports legend who made the harrowing swim from Cuba to Florida after decades of trying, gets a biopic starring Annette Bening. Jodie Foster plays Nyad’s BFF Bonnie Stoll.
Documentary lovers might want to check out the 2013 film The Other Shore, which informs and inspires the dramatic retelling.
Unpredictable weather and ocean currents, not to mention toxic jellyfish and sharks, make the 50+ hour swim nearly impossible. But the real issue is the salt in the water and what it does to your mind, as Nyad explains to Oprah:
Nyad came into popular consciousness after swimming all the way around Manhattan in 1975. That feat led her to attempt the swim from Cuba to Florida in 1978 when she was 28. The first attempt was called off when 8-foot waves and wind started pushing Nyad off course. Decades later, Nyad finally made it across on her fifth attempt in 2013, at age 64. Critics have questioned details about the feat and whether it met established rules about official distance swimming records, but it’s a remarkable accomplishment regardless.
The film will be in theaters October 20, then on Netflix November 3.
Watch.
Image: YouTube / Netflix
