Heartfelt & Haunting Movies Based On True Stories: At The Movies With Kasey
Recently, I went to put Monsters, Inc. on yet again and saw that Disney made a new movie about Trudy Ederle, the first woman to swim the English Channel. The film is a historical look at women in sports and an incredible story of perseverance. Although my kid is too young for the movie just yet, it would make a good selection for movie nights with older kids.
Young Woman and the Sea focuses on Trudy (Daisy Ridley) and her big sister, Meg Ederle (Tilda Cobham-Hervey), the daughters of German immigrants, Gertrude (Jeanette Hain) and Henry (Kim Bodina), in turn-of-the-century New York City. After Trudy miraculously survives the measles, she is not supposed to swim, because it could damage her hearing. That does not keep the sisters from joining a women’s swim team coached by Charlotte “Eppy” Epstein (Sian Clifford). Eventually, Trudy’s toughness leads her from last place to setting new records. In 1926, unsure of what the future holds for her, she sets her sights on swimming the treacherous waters of the English Channel.
Although the film diverges from the true story a few times (Ederle, for example, won medals at the 1924 Olympics), it does a wonderful job of depicting a feat that changed the course of women’s sports while also portraying Trudy’s excellence in the context of her era and her relationships. The friendship between the sisters and the love of their parents, who are trying to care for them the best they can, even if their methods seem old-fashioned, provide a lot of the movie’s feel-good energy. Daisy Ridley gives a stand-out performance as Trudy, but the scenes with Tilda Cobham-Hervey sparkle a little more because of the playful sisterly love they act out. The actors have great chemistry, portraying an affectionate family of strong-willed people. If you love Little Women, this movie is a safe bet for you.
Unsurprisingly, Young Woman and the Sea has a similar narrative arc to Nyad, the Annette Benning movie about Diana Nyad swimming from Cuba to Miami. This film is also a beautiful period piece that features classic 1920s fashions and fun historical elements, such as carrier pigeons, to go with the gendered restrictions the girls face. The production value is high, with richly detailed sets and costumes accompanying the outstanding performances and genuinely moving story.
Young Woman and the Sea was written by Jeff Nathanson and Glenn Stout and directed by Joachim Rønning. It runs 129 minutes and is rated PG. It is now streaming on Disney+.
In a completely different vein, Netflix has a new movie based on a “true” haunted house story, just in time for spooky season. The Deliverance is decidedly not family-friendly as it draws inspiration from the experiences of Latoya Ammons of Gary, Indiana.
Set in Pittsburgh, The Deliverance focuses on Ebony (Andra Day) and her children, Andre (Anthony B. Jenkins), Nate (Caleb McLaughlin), and Shante (Demi Singleton). As Ebony struggles to make ends meet and keep her family together, her mother, Alberta (Glenn Close), moves into their new house. The house seems to have a demon or something, but the infestation of flies feels like just one more thing Ebony has to deal with. The kids’ father is in Iraq. Her mother has cancer. And collection agencies and her parole officer keep calling. As the kids’ behavior spirals out of control, even the authorities suspect that Ebony’s questionable parenting is not to blame.
The Deliverance starts out building an eerie atmosphere that feels like we are headed to another Amityville Horror; those early moments are among the spookiest the film has to offer. Much of the story instead dwells on the domestic problems of the family, which gives this movie a different angle than many haunted house flicks. Director Lee Daniels seems to be reaching for commentary on the multiple issues—internal and structural—that women like Ebony face as they try to make a better life. The balance between the human drama and the demons is off though. I like the idea that Ebony is haunted by trauma, but the movie needed more jump scares or classic haunted house gags to bring it all together. In the last stretch, The Deliverance leans hard into exorcism cliches and religious fervor, but by that point, the actual demon felt like an afterthought. Andra Day gives a harrowing performance and the screenplay takes the story in a compelling direction, but as a horror movie, The Deliverance is neither scary nor fun.
The Deliverance was directed by Lee Daniels and written by David Coggeshall and Elijah Bynum. It runs 112 minutes and is rated R. It is now streaming on Netflix.
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