Young Woman and the Sea {Movie Review}: An Inspiring Story of Swimmer Trudy Ederle

Disney’s Young Woman and the Sea, the extraordinary true story of Trudy Ederle, the first woman to successfully swim the English Channel, is out in select theaters nationwide today.

In addition to Daisy Ridley (Star Wars films) playing the lead role of Trudy Ederle, the film stars Tilda Cobham-Hervey (Burn), Kim Bodnia (Killing Eve), Stephen Graham (Venom: Let There Be Carnage), and Glenn Fleshler (Joker).

Daisy Ridley stars as the accomplished swimmer who was born to immigrant parents in New York City in 1905. Through the steadfast support of her older sister and supportive trainers, she overcame adversity and the animosity of a patriarchal society to rise through the ranks of the Olympic swimming team and complete the staggering achievement – a 21-mile trek from France to England.

When I look back at the early 1900s, it’s crazy to see how many restrictions women had back then. The opening scenes of the film introduces us to a sickly young girl whose determination and persistent requests to take swimming lessons finally won over her parents.

Training and swim competitions, didn’t come easy to Trudy (at first). Eventually all of that perseverance paid off and she found herself competing in the 1924 Paris Olympics. It was shortly after the Olympics that she decided to challenge herself by swimming across the English Channel.

Young Woman and the Sea is such an inspirational movie and Daisy Ridley’s performance is amazing. The last few minutes of the movie will have you cheering in your seat! This is the kind of movie that fills you with hope and pride. Watching it makes me excited for the 2024 Paris Olympics later this summer!

“Young Woman and the Sea” opens today in select theaters nationwide.
“Young Woman and the Sea” is rated PG.
Visit the official “Young Woman and the Sea” website here for more information.

Disclosure: No monetary compensation was received for this post. I attended an advanced screening of the movie which helped facilitate this review. Images shown in this post are used with permission. As always, my opinions are 100% my own.