Young Woman And The Sea (PG)

Born and raised in New York City, Trudy Ederle becomes a competition swimmer at an early age. She wins a gold medal at the 1924 Summer Olympic Games held in Paris then sets her sights on a new milestone: safely crossing the English Channel. Trudy works with trainer Jabez Wolffe to accomplish the physically gruelling feat but misfortune pours cold water on her initial attempt. Unperturbed, Trudy doubles her efforts with a new trainer, Bill Burgess.

LondonNet Film Review

Young Woman And The Sea (PG) Film Review from LondonNet

They do make ’em like they used to and that’s a blessing when it comes to Norwegian director Joachim Ronning’s heartstring-tugging biopic of American competitive swimmer Trudy Ederle, who became the first woman to conquer the English Channel in August 1926. Comfortingly old-fashioned in its dramatic structure, Young Woman And The Sea sermonises self-belief and courage in an era when women were expected to cover up and certainly didn’t learn to swim in bathing suits that might flout decency laws. Censors on public beaches, wielding measuring tapes to deduce the amount of uncovered flesh on display, vigorously enforced the draconian rules…

Screenwriter Jeff Nathanson confidently adapts Glenn Stout’s non-fiction book of the same title, condensing timelines and heightening suspense with artistic flourishes to abide by the tropes of an underdog story. A rousing orchestral score courtesy of composer Amelia Warner teases generous trickles from our tear ducts as a splashy ensemble cast, led by Daisy Ridley, dives into a largely forgotten chapter of sporting history marked by a ticker-tape parade through the streets of New York City that stands firm in record books almost 100 years later. The supporting cast scene-steals by stealth, notably Jeanette Hain’s strong-willed mother who paddles against patriarchal tides and Stephen Graham’s long-distance swimmer, who prefers to perform physical exertions in his birthday swimsuit. Fleeting buttock nudity is played for gentle laughs.

Trudy (Ridley) demonstrates grit and determination before her 10th birthday by escaping the deathly grip of measles to the delight of her German immigrant parents Henry (Kim Bodnia) and Gertrude Anna (Hain), older sister Margaret (Tilda Cobham-Hervey) and brother Henry Jnr (Ethan Rouse). Gertrude Anna overrules her husband to enrol the girls at the Women’s Swimming Association but coach Charlotte (Sian Clifford) initially refuses to teach Trudy, saying: “She swims like a horse with two broken legs, possibly three.”

In response, the defiant teenager breaks world records en route to proudly representing her country at the 1924 Summer Olympic Games in Paris. News footage of Rotherham-born swimmer Bill Burgess (Graham) becoming the second man to safely cross the English Channel inspires Trudy to chase a new dream under the guidance of no-nonsense Glaswegian trainer Jabez Wolffe (Christopher Eccleston).

Young Woman And The Sea is a cockle-warming delight that addresses gender inequality through the tear-filled eyes of the close-knit Ederle family, who support each other against seemingly overwhelming odds. “They don’t want us to be heroes,” Margaret warns her sister during a rain-soaked heart-to-heart in an alleyway. Ridley and co-stars are convincing in the water, including the climactic Channel crossing shot over nine days in the Black Sea. “Seems like a nice day for a swim,” quips Trudy before she takes the plunge. Indeed it does.

– Sarah Lee