DEFY THE ODDS.

A very slickly produced biopic about the first woman to swim across the English Channel, a feat accomplished in 1926 by Trudy Ederle, an American with German roots.

She survived measles as a kid, learned how to swim competitively at a time when only men were encouraged to do so, and battled severe conditions in the cold water of the Channel. Remarkable, and much of it is close to the truth, even if key aspects of the story have been changed for dramatic purposes, serving a formula familiar from many others sports dramas.

Daisy Ridley is terrific in the lead and the film gets a boost from beautiful cinematography and a rousing music score.

2024-U.S. 129 min. Color. Widescreen. Directed by Joachim Rønning. Screenplay: Jeff Nathanson. Book: Glenn Stout. Cinematography: Oscar Faura. Music: Amelia Warner. Cast: Daisy Ridley (Gertrude ”Trudy” Ederle), Tilda Cobham-Hervey (Margaret ”Meg” Ederle), Stephen Graham (Bill Burgess), Kim Bodnia, Jeanette Hain, Christopher Eccleston, Alexander Karim.

Trivia: Co-executive produced by Ridley and Rønning. Lily James was originally cast in the lead.

Last word: “I grew up by the ocean. I’m from a small town in the south of Norway. I grew up on boats, so I’m drawn to the ocean. I long for it when I’m not on it, and I’m rarely on it except when I’m filming. So I guess stories that have that element to them, I’m kind of drawn to it. And I think in this case with Young Woman and the Sea, it’s almost a cliche to say but it’s like the ocean is its own character. So it was, for me, a great combination of showing the beauty, but also the obstacle and the difficulties of the ocean.” (Rønning, Filmhounds)