You’d have more luck finding a chest of pirate gold at the bottom of the ocean than tracking down one of Disney+’s new movies in August. Almost everything fresh that you can see on Disney’s streaming service and its No 1 property of that sort is gated behind a paywall requiring a Hulu subscription.
Fortunately, there’s a movie that came to Disney+ in July, and it’s the one Disney+ title you absolutely have to watch this August: Young Woman and the Sea. A sports biopic that originally wasn’t slated to premiere anywhere but the streamer before getting a short theatrical window this past May, it proved too short a stay in theatres, but one that’s a perfect fit in its new streaming home. And it’s the one film you need to stream this August. Here are the reasons why:
It’s an inspiring true story in the classic Disney mold
Long before the reign of live-action Disney House, which’s defined by remakes of the studio’s own animated films, Disney made its name by taking true stories and giving them a glossy sheen of uplift. And, aside from having a classic Disney premise written all over it, Young Woman and the Sea edges into the familiar Disney style with ease. The film is directed by Joachim Rønning and written for the screen by Jeff Nathanson, based on the book of the same name by Glenn Stout about Gertrude ‘Trudy’ Ederle, the first woman to cross the English Channel, which she accomplished in the 1920s.
Of the Disney classics, this is a film that most resembles Iron Will because the task that Trudy is trying to accomplish is genuinely dangerous, and she has a significant mountain to conquer both literally and figuratively, what with the sexism of the period being transcendent and even her own family distancing themselves from her dreams. But again, her indomitable spirit allows her to prevail.
It’s a showcase for Daisy Ridley
Almost a decade after Ridley made her debut in Star Wars: The Force Awakens, she would reprise her breakout role of Rey in two sequels, while her post-Star Wars credits, marked by the truly terrible film Chaos Walking, have rarely showcased her in roles outside of the sci-fi genre.
Ridley steps up—heroically and persuasively—for Young Woman and the Sea, pulling it all across the finish line, just as she did in the shallow surf at the start, with a rippling romp that reminds you why they gave her the big break in the first place. She’s carrying this movie on her back—in the water and on land—where Trudy fights for herself.
The supporting cast turns in good performances
But we’ll cut to the chase—we’re not making too many water puns—but it would be a mistake to say that Disney left Ridley in the lurch on this movie. She’s surrounded by a growing chorus of great supporting actors, not least the former Doctor Who star Christopher Eccleston, who plays Trudy’s trainer, Jabez Wolffe. So Trudy and Wolffe have an absolutely frosty relationship—a complete lack of mutual admiration. And there’s an obvious subplot that Wolffe is jealous of Trudy’s success and is actually prepared to cheat her because of that.
The actors who play Trudy’s parents, Kim Bodnia as Henry and Jeanette Hain as Gertrude Anna Ederle, are very good, as is Tilda Cobham-Hervey as Trudy’s sister, Meg. But apart from Ridley and Eccleston, there is another very enjoyable performance in the movie, and that is from Stephen Graham, who plays Trudy’s big hero, Bill Burgess. Graham is the star whenever his character appears, and Burgess makes a significant contribution towards helping Trudy achieve her aims.
The movie turns up the tension in the final act
But given the fact that all ‘true stories’ are given at least some kind of Hollywood gloss, some creative license is possible with the history late in the film regarding how and when Trudy tries to swim the English Channel a second time. But as Trudy swims her way through the night, she rapidly discovers that trying to swim the Channel is no mere ‘Hollywood gloss’.
And even though we know she’ll make it through, this does create some suspense as to how she’ll do it, so that things don’t fall nicely into place for her. Indeed, if Trudy didn’t have to overcome some measures of adversity, Young Woman and the Sea wouldn’t be half as fun to watch as it is.
Watch Young Woman and the Sea on Disney+.