Abigail Johnson is a New York City-based writing intern, screenwriter, actor, and director. Her main focus is women in the entertainment industry and authenticity, especially advocating for diverse storytelling and new perspectives. Abigail loves discovering indie films that may not be seen in a traditional movie theatre, as well as listening to pop music and trying to find the next big artist. Abigail connects to Hollywood Insider’s values of substance over scandal and focusing on compassion and philosophy in her writing at Hollywood Insider. Utilizing writing for good is the main Hollywood Insider value that Abigail connects with, as her main goal is to use her talents for good.
Aug 10, 2024
The Disney empire is home to a wide variety of different types of movies. From the feel-good animated classics and their live-action remakes to the cutting-edge storylines and CGI innovation. One of the types of Disney movies that can sometimes be forgotten about is the Disney sports films. Movies like ‘Secretariat’ and ‘Remember the Titans’ tell classic stories of athletes and families overcoming adversity in the name of their sports. One of the latest releases from this genre is ‘Young Woman and the Sea’, which hit theatres on May 31, 2024. Much like other Disney sports films, ‘Young Woman and the Sea’ is based on a true story, and focuses on the adversities one faces in order to be great at their sport.
‘Young Woman and the Sea’ tells the story of Trudy Ederle, the first woman to swim the English Channel. The film demonstrates the adversity of Ederle’s life, ranging from her fight against measles in her youth, to her fight against a patriarchal society in the swimming world. We see Trudy’s triumphs while breaking New York records and her raising questions of a woman’s place in society.
Before seeing the film, my expectations were pretty low, as I figured there would be too many swimming montages and half-baked feminist quotes. However, I was impressed to see a lot of heart in this film. ‘Young Woman and the Sea’ didn’t treat strong women like a revelation. The misogyny in the film was not it’s own character, as what can happen in many films that feel like Feminism 101. I expected this film to treat Trudy’s story like a prize, with constant laughter and misogynistic comments that felt like they were written for those who didn’t know what misogyny was. While there were a few lines here and there that didn’t fit right into a casual conversation, I felt that the writing was strong overall. I didn’t feel as if we were being spoon-fed in the writing.
Personally, I wasn’t the biggest fan of the stylization of the film. The color palate of the film was extremely dark, which made it hard to truly see what was going on, and catch some of the visual cues. Not to mention, there was not a lot of diversity in the cast’s looks and costumes, making it difficult to tell the difference between some of the characters while the film was beginning. There were also some random jump cuts and additions to the story that caused the movie to be a bit jumpy. Some points in the story were either too harped on, such as the fact that Trudy suffered from measles, while others were largely ignored, like Meg’s relationship with Chip Anderson. Not to mention, one of the few plot points dealing with racism in the film was diminished to a single conversation, as the single black character discussed with Trudy how the world was rooting against them swimming the English Channel.
One aspect and message of the film that I loved was the idea of hard work beating natural talent. Trudy began the film sick with measles, and unable to swim. Once she began to learn how to swim, she still didn’t have that talent to push her over the edge. However, once she began to work at her swimming was she able to reach her goals and win races. In many sports and arts films, the focus is on the natural talent of the subject, rather than their work ethic. ‘Young Woman and the Sea’ is different. The film demonstrates the work ethic of the characters and the motivation it takes to train at a sport, rather than just a natural ability.
I appreciated how this film showed the characters losing and failing. Trudy doesn’t make it through the English Channel the first time she attempt, not to mention the other failures and tribulations that it took for her to even become a successful swimmer. Through the support of her family, especially that of her older sister, and her hard work ethic, Trudy is able to succeed. This helps the audience want to keep watching and experience that catharsis when they finally win.
The performances of this film didn’t stand out in a good or bad way, which is a good thing in my book. Sometimes, when an audience is focused on a flashy performance they are taken away from the story. In ‘Young Woman and the Sea’, the story was the most important part of the film, rather than a performance or an actor that pulls the audience in. Daisy Ridley does a strong job in her role as Trudy. She does not allow her character to take anything from anybody, and she takes such good care of this character, without making her too gaudy and outwardly extravagant. Ridley takes a human approach to the character, as she is a real person from history.
‘Young Woman and the Sea’ is in select theatres today. While the amount of theatres and the time that the film can be seen in theatres is limited, ‘Young Woman and the Sea’ is available to stream at home on Disney Plus.
Cast: Daisy Ridley, Tilda Cobham-Hervey, Stephen Graham, Kim Bodnia, Christopher Eccleston, Glenn Fleshler | Director: Joachim Rønning | Writer: Jeff Nathanson | Producers:
Jerry Bruckheimer, Chad Oman, Jeff Nathanson | Cinematography: Oscar Faura| Editing: Úna Ní Dhonghaíle
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Abigail Johnson is a New York City-based writing intern, screenwriter, actor, and director. Her main focus is women in the entertainment industry and authenticity, especially advocating for diverse storytelling and new perspectives. Abigail loves discovering indie films that may not be seen in a traditional movie theatre, as well as listening to pop music and trying to find the next big artist. Abigail connects to Hollywood Insider’s values of substance over scandal and focusing on compassion and philosophy in her writing at Hollywood Insider. Utilizing writing for good is the main Hollywood Insider value that Abigail connects with, as her main goal is to use her talents for good.
Abigail Johnson is a New York City-based writing intern, screenwriter, actor, and director. Her main focus is women in the entertainment industry and authenticity, especially advocating for diverse storytelling and new perspectives. Abigail loves discovering indie films that may not be seen in a traditional movie theatre, as well as listening to pop music and trying to find the next big artist. Abigail connects to Hollywood Insider’s values of substance over scandal and focusing on compassion and philosophy in her writing at Hollywood Insider. Utilizing writing for good is the main Hollywood Insider value that Abigail connects with, as her main goal is to use her talents for good.
Abigail Johnson is a New York City-based writing intern, screenwriter, actor, and director. Her main focus is women in the entertainment industry and authenticity, especially advocating for diverse storytelling and new perspectives. Abigail loves discovering indie films that may not be seen in a traditional movie theatre, as well as listening to pop music and trying to find the next big artist. Abigail connects to Hollywood Insider’s values of substance over scandal and focusing on compassion and philosophy in her writing at Hollywood Insider. Utilizing writing for good is the main Hollywood Insider value that Abigail connects with, as her main goal is to use her talents for good.
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