True Spirit
True Spirit is available on Netflix at the time of writing. Rated TV-PG. Common Sense says 10.
STORY: C+
True Spirit is the story of Australian teenager, Jessica Watson. It follows her 2010 attempt to become the youngest person ever to sail alone and unassisted around the globe. It’s a high-seas adventure tailor made for the silver screen.
200 days on a boat must result in bits of boredom from time to time. To time. To time. Writer/director Sarah Spillane keeps the pace moving along nicely by smartly tacking back and forth between Jess’s unending trek and the formative moments from her childhood that brought her to this point.
Jess endures a few frightening occasions out on the ocean, yet it feels as if the storytellers often soften the story’s stakes. Leaning into the full terror of Jess’s quest would make for a far more intense, and likely more interesting, movie. However, this film’s main desire is to inspire. Softening the stakes ensures that a young audience will be able to watch the film and hear its moving message.
PEOPLE: C-
Teagan Croft (Titan’s Raven) captains the ship quite admirably in her first feature lead role. At first, I found her bravado unconvincing. But she gets a great speech halfway through the film where the brave face recedes, replaced by a boatload of vulnerability. She absolutely nails it. Which makes me wonder - did Croft choose to play Jess as a person with unsteady and wobbly courage in order to foreshadow the movie’s big emotional turn? Yes or no, her performance in this scene completely won me over.
The other actors float adrift in a sea of stereotypes. They only rarely behave the way real human beings do. Therefore they don’t feel real, which really hurts the story. Anna Pacquin is allowed to let her colossal acting chops rip during one emotional moment. It’s so out of place that I have to think she had a clause in her contract requiring at least one such scene.
Perhaps the generally uninspired tone was done, again, to cater to young audiences. Making that decision for the acting makes less sense to me than doing so for the action scenes.
FILM NERD STUFF: B-
The film’s opening thirty seconds hook us immediately. Without saying a word, we learn Jess is young, fun loving, and despite being a pretty dang good sailor, someone who’s likely in way over her head. We also hear a noise that claws its way into your ear and lives rent free in your head for the rest of the movie. The horror stuffed inside that sound stays with you, a constant reminder that any mistake made at sea carries a massive price tag.
I give True Spirit big points for containing what I call an “end-of-movie-recall montage” (or EOMRM for short). EOMRMs make every movie twenty-eight times better. At least. Remember Elf? The part where everyone spreads Christmas cheer by singing loud for all to hear? We don’t just see the Hobbs family belting out Christmas carols. We see the mail room. Dirk Lawson. The gang at Gimbel’s. The jolly staff of Greenway Publishing. Kids in their bedrooms waiting for Santa.
By seeing everyone we’ve met one last time, the EOMRM connects not just the characters but every emotional beat of the movie experience. It’s a reminder that we’re all connected and that we reach our highest potential as human beings when we join together for mutual experiences and causes. I will never not adore an EOMRM.
YOU, YOURSELF (Elective Class): A
The movie’s inspiration doesn’t come from the sailboat. It comes from the lessons Jess learns on that boat. You don’t have to do something wild to learn these truths. You don’t need to run with the bulls, bungee jump, join the Foreign Legion, climb Mt. Everest, play with poisonous lizards, skydive over a burning bagel factory, swim with sharks, run with scissors, kayak in a volcano, go bareback tiger racing in Uganda, or do the Ice Bucket challenge. I mean, you can if you want to.
Carrying Jess’s lessons with you as you chase down whatever crazy dream you desire will definitely help you achieve it. Specifically, learning that it’s hard living your dreams. That there’s bravery in not being ok. And that there’s strength in being yourself. The reward isn’t getting to say “I did it!” It’s using these lessons every day for the rest of your life.
FINAL COMMENTS:
True Spirit will certainly succeed in inspiring young folks to reach for their dreams. It’s recommended viewing for anybody pursuing a dream or searching for one.