Young Woman and the Sea
Young Woman and the Sea is streaming on Disney+ at the time of writing. Rated PG. Common Sense says 10+.
STORY: A-
An inspirational, pitch perfect, underdog sports tale.
You’ve seen each of this movie’s story beats countless times before. You will have no trouble guessing what happens next in each scene of this film. A lot of times that’s a bad thing for a movie, but not here.
This movie is like a perfectly cooked Thanksgiving dinner. You walk in knowing the menu, but you still savor every single delicious bite of it.
THE SCOOP: Checkout Young Woman and the Sea’s IMDb page, here.
PEOPLE: A
The performances add up to more than the sum of their parts.
When actors describe working with other actors, they often say that they’re “bouncing off” of each other. Bouncing off of a weak actor is like trying to dribble a basketball on quicksand. It makes it hard for the others to excel if one of them isn’t pulling their weight.
To throw in a splash of swimming lingo: every actor stays in their lane in this movie. And because they all do their job so well, each of them gets a strong, solid surface to bounce off of. That lifts everyone’s performance, and the movie as a whole.
The film is a true ensemble piece.
CAST PARTY: Check out the AP interview with Daisy Ridley and Tilda Cobham-Hervey, here. (8 mins)
FILM NERD STUFF: B+
The set design reinforces Trudy’s desire to chase her dream.
Notice how dark the Ederle’s home is. Notice the stench of sickness and loss. Notice all of the vertical lines. It’s a prison.
The house clenches its arms (which are covered with patriarchy-praising tattoos) tightly around Trudy. The home’s smothering design makes her escape from it that much more meaningful.
DIRECTOR’S CUT: Check out the Criqal interview with director Joachim Ronning, here. (4 mins)
ELECTIVE CLASS (GirlPower!): A+
Strong support and allyship make the world a better place.
When Trudy was growing up, women were rarely allowed to swim. Women were deemed fragile, meek, and incapable of athleticism.
The film illuminates three essential pieces to breaking through these (or any) suppressive prejudices. One, she’s got a community of women dedicated to helping her. Two, she finds a few men willing to stand up for what is right and give her the tools and support she needs. Third, she works her tail off to take what she wants from this world.
When we all work together to help make sure everyone can chase their dreams, the world becomes a better place. So let’s do that.
FINAL COMMENTS:
It’s a story that’s been done hundreds of times before. But when it’s done right (Hoosiers, Rocky, Bend it Like Beckham), it’s always a beautiful thing. Adding a legitimately inspirational equal rights perspective boosts its underdog component, and only makes the film work even better.
Young Woman and the Sea is a must see.