Young Woman and the Sea

I was able to see a Thursday preview of Young Woman and the Sea last night and, as a big fan of inspirational sports movies, I absolutely loved it!  After surviving a bout with the measles, Gertrude "Trudy" Ederle (Olive Abercrombie) wants to learn to swim just like her older sister Meg (Lilly Aspell) but her parents, German immigrants Henry (Kim Bodnia) and Gertrude (Jeanette Hain), fear that it will worsen her hearing loss.  Undaunted, Trudy (Daisy Ridley) eventually trains with Charlotte Epstein (Sian Clifford) in a basement pool and defies expectations by winning races.  After a disappointing showing at the 1924 Olympics, where she was expected to earn four gold medals, interest in women's swimming wanes and her father expects her to submit to an arranged marriage.  Trudy has other ideas and decides to swim the English Channel, something only five men (and no women) have ever done before.  She is reluctantly sponsored by the Women's Swimming Association (WSA) who insist that she train with Jabez Wolffe (Christopher Eccleston), who had previously attempted to swim the channel 22 times without success.  When Wolffe sabotages her first attempt, she finds a way to stay in France and try again with the help of her sister Meg (Tilda Cobham-Hervey) and another eccentric swimmer named Bill Burgess (Stephen Graham).  What I found so compelling about this true story is that Trudy is not a natural athlete with perfect technique.  She has to fight to be allowed to swim and, even then, there are others who are much better than her but it is her determination and hard work that allows her to succeed!  I also loved the portrayal of Trudy's family, especially the support of her mother despite the opposition of her more traditional father and the heartwarming relationship with her sister even though they are on different paths.  Ridley gives a quietly powerful performance (one of her best) in a physically demanding role and I found it to be very moving without being manipulative.  The rest of the cast is uniformly excellent but the standouts for me were Hain and Clifford.  Finally, the cinematography, particularly the shots in the water, is stunning and the vibrant score really enhances the uplifting message.  I thoroughly enjoyed this crowd-pleaser and I highly recommend it!