“Young Woman And The Sea” Review: Daisy Ridley Makes Waves In A Fairly Inspiring Biographical Drama

“People said women couldn’t swim the [English] Channel but I proved they could”, mused the ruddy teenager, as she panted from exhaustion, nevertheless wearing a triumphant smirk on her face. Gertrude, better known to the world as Trudy, had just accomplished what most at the time felt was impossible. Yes! This young woman had just endured 56 kilometres of the sea and made it back safely on land.

One of the history books, The Legend of Trudy Ederle has gone down as one of the most inspiring displays of will and determination that humanity has witnessed. Yet, how many of us know her story?

This is the exact idea that producer Jerry Bruckheimer and director Joachim Rønning intended to show audiences as they set out to tell the story of this incredible woman. It truly was one for the ages as it set a precedent not just for athleticism but also for the idea of women in sports. And now, with the film adaptation of what many dub the ‘Queen of the Waves’, we take a look at the details of what made her life even more special.

One may be amused by the fact that within the last year, we’ve had two biographical dramas featuring a woman crossing the English Channel. Of course, there are degrees of variation in how these two tales played out. The Annette Bening-led feature, “Nyad”, features a woman who is meant to be past her prime taking on this challenge and eventually succeeding after multiple attempts.

Yes, on the surface “Young Woman And The Sea” does the same thing. Jellyfish, routing decisions, exhaustion. These are the constants of someone attempting such a feat. Nevertheless, the way these stories unfold is quite different. Unlike “Nyad”, “Young Woman and The Sea” does take a while to get to the point we were all waiting for, for better or worse.

Set against the backdrop of a 1920s Brooklyn, the story sets the spotlight on the Ederle family. Opening with an almost tragedy in the form of Trudy’s life-threatening measles infection, the film sets up the notion of the challenges she will face and the constant pushback she will receive due to her being perceived as weak. However, we also that her survival means more. We know that this is a personality of great determination, possessing the guts to achieve glory.

The road to Trudy’s aspirations meets with multiple challenges that can feel a little too tacked on at times as the film hammers home the state of her family, her having to shovel coal and prove her worth to her coach, and so on. However, with her elder sibling, Meg (Tilda Cobham-Hervey) by her side, the two share support for the other and share a healthy dose of competition that brings out the best in Trudy.

Of course, being set in the early 20th century means that there are societal barriers to break. And with this film being inherently feminist, the commentary keeps coming.

At the film’s start, Trudy’s father bluntly dismisses her talents, citing that “girls don’t swim”. Sure, they could run around and be merry on Coney Island, but swim? No. Frowned upon. Indecent as a matter of fact.

Throughout her growth into a young woman, Trudy stares down her doubters and claps back against the idea of arranged unions. Most of the pushback comes from her attempt at crossing the fearsome Channel, which many thought that it was a man’s ballgame. After all, there were only five men who had completed such a feat, and even though many others had tried, they couldn’t replicate that. So, “What more from a young girl?“, chimed society.

Indeed, there are a lot of build-ups to get to the ‘boss battle’ itself which is the sea and this is where we feel that it can be a little mundane at times. Going back to “Nyad”, that film wasted no time in giving audiences a taste of what was to come and we see her in the vast waters within the first 20 minutes. On the flipside, “Young Woman And The Sea” is more content with telling a grounded story, and deconstructing its community and times. That can feel a little repetitive as the point keeps getting hammered over and over due to its inability to imply but rather tell the audience everything it wants to.

However, when the time comes for the deep dive, it is accomplished well. The imagery that Joachim Rønning pursues is effective in bringing out enough tension with the camera bobbing up and down like a buoy when it comes to Trudy’s perspective. Filming in the actual ocean makes for a real environment that the actors would have to react to in time.

The ocean is also framed as a daunting, dark, and scary path at times. Swallowing the main character in its waves can prove to be effective in showing the emotional state that Trudy might have been in.

Just like the character she’s playing, kudos to Daisy for being courageous to lead roles that challenge and showcase her talent and also how she can work hard for them. Daisy is so much more than just a Jedi who wielded a lightsaber and the film “Sometimes I Think About Dying” comes to mind when we think about her work. If you haven’t seen it, we do recommend it (although it can also be a harrowing watch).

Indeed, it’s not an easy task to swim in the high currents of an ocean that tests your physical strength and will. So, how do you convince audiences that there was a person who did this for hours on end and was good at it? Well, by training with a former Olympian and learning the various techniques to enshroud herself in Trudy’s being.

Indeed, she had to have the strength to be in the ocean for long shoots and adapt to the currents and cold temperatures. It’s simply incredible. Her dedication to this performance is indeed admirable and the results show that she, just like the plucky and fearless Trudy Erdele, are very much in sync.

Overall, the story here could have taken a better road and probably changed up the pace to clear up the dreary bits, but it still is a solid take in showing the world who this inspiring athlete was. “Young Woman And The Sea” does deliver the uplifting components that it parcels up with a bow by its end. Surely, it’s not an easy feat and seeing this personality succeed, her doubters silenced, made it so much more cathartic by its final sequences. It’s an old-fashioned way of telling the tale, but it does it well enough.

Hopefully, with the reemergence of a figure lost to time, the world will continue to tell her story, and be inspired by a true pioneer.

“Young Woman And The Sea” is currently streaming on Disney+ Hotstar.