One hundred and ten miles of shark-infested and often violent waters separate Cuba and Florida. In 1978, at 28, the American marathon swimmer Diana Nyad attempted to swim the distance. She failed. In 2011, at 61, after adopting an unfathomably rigorous training regimen and working alongside a team of devoted scientists, she once more dove in from Havana with Key West in her sights. She failed again. Nyad’s last try, her fifth, took place over the course of 53 hours in 2013, and she succeeded—the only human ever to do so. Premiered at Telluride Film Festival and coming to Netflix, Nyad stars Annette Bening in a dramatization of the historic feat. It’s directed by Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin, the same duo behind the 2018 documentary about the death-defying rock climber Alex Honnold. Nyad’s story parallels that of Honnold’s—both athletes desired to conquer a singular, seemingly unattainable, and relatively terrifying physical feat. If Nyad is half as thrilling as Free Solo was, prepare for a white-knuckled two hours. —Jack Sullivan
The Arts Intel Report
Nyad
Annette Bening as Diana Nyad in Nyad.