Young Woman and the Sea

In nineteen-twenties New York, a girl who barely survived measles as a child learns to swim. Her family are against it, the clubs are closed to women and the federation will not back her. She decides to swim the Channel. The film draws its tension less from the sea than from the obstacles around it: a coach's sabotage, the tone of the press, her family's permission. The crossing is given at length and shot in real water. Joachim Ronning directed, with Daisy Ridley in the lead. It follows the real story of Gertrude Ederle and is a Disney production. Who it's for: those who like sports drama from real events. Who it's not for: viewers curious about the exact sequence; the film rearranges some of it for dramatic need.