“Young Woman and the Sea,” the inspiring biopic of extraordinary swimmer Trudy Ederle, is coming soon to Disney+. Daisy Ridley stars as Trudy Ederle, the first woman to successfully swim the English Channel. The film will make its streaming debut on Disney+ on Friday, July 19.
In “Young Woman and the Sea,” Daisy Ridley portrays the accomplished swimmer who overcomes 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. The film, directed by Joachim Rønning and written by Jeff Nathanson, is based on the book “Young Woman and the Sea: How Trudy Ederle Conquered the English Channel and Inspired the World” by Glenn Stout.
The biopic was released in theaters on May 31 and was received warmly by critics. Variety’s Tomris Laffly wrote, “Daisy Ridley stuns and earns your tears in this beautifully classical movie.” The film also stars Tilda Cobham-Hervey, Stephen Graham, Kim Bodnia, Christopher Eccleston, and Glenn Fleshler.
“Young Woman and the Sea” marks another collaboration between Disney and legendary producer Jerry Bruckheimer, who has previously worked on the National Treasure and Pirates of the Caribbean franchises. This film also reunites Bruckheimer with director Joachim Rønning, who helmed “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales.”
The film’s official synopsis reads: “Young Woman and the Sea tells the story of Gertrude Ederle, 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.”
“Young Woman and the Sea” was released in North American theaters on May 31. Box Office Mojo reports that the movie only played in limited release during its run in theaters worldwide. As such, the film earned $500,000 domestically and $81,725 in international ticket sales for a worldwide box office tally of $581,725. No production budget information is available for the film.
Daisy Ridley, known for her role as the Jedi knight Rey in the Star Wars sequel trilogy films Episode VII: The Force Awakens, Episode VIII: The Last Jedi, and Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker, takes on a different kind of challenge in this biopic. Her portrayal of Trudy Ederle has been praised by critics and audiences alike.
Rotten Tomatoes critics collectively gave “Young Woman and the Sea” an 85% “fresh” rating based on 75 reviews, while RT users awarded the film a stellar 98% “fresh” Audience Score based on 100-plus verified user ratings. The film’s reception highlights its emotional depth and the powerful performance by Ridley.
“Young Woman and the Sea” is the second true-life tale about a female endurance swimmer to be released in the past year. The Netflix original movie “Nyad” told the story of real-life marathon swimmer Diana Nyad, who became the first person in history to swim from Cuba to the Florida Keys. The 2023 film earned Annette Bening a Best Actress Oscar nomination for playing Nyad, while Jodie Foster earned a Best Supporting Actress nomination for playing Nyad’s coach Bonnie Stoll.
The highest-testing film in Jerry Bruckheimer’s storied career is making its way to streaming this month. “Young Woman and the Sea,” based on the true story of Olympic swimmer Gertrude Ederle, had a limited theatrical release at the end of May. The chance for a wider audience to see it is finally coming in a little over a week, as Disney announced that the film will make its streaming debut on July 19.
Like every other Disney movie, “Young Woman and the Sea” will call Disney+ its streaming home, and that’s the service where fans will be able to check it out when it debuts online next week. There hasn’t been any word yet about a video on-demand or physical release for “Young Woman and the Sea.”
The film got its inspiration from the real-life swimmer, as well as Glenn Stout’s book “Young Woman and the Sea: How Trudy Ederle Conquered the English Channel and Inspired the World.” The cast of “Young Woman and the Sea” includes Tilda Cobham-Hervey, Stephen Graham, Kim Bodnia, Christopher Eccleston, and Glenn Fleshler.
“Young Woman and the Sea” tells the story of Gertrude Ederle, 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.
“Young Woman and the Sea” is directed by Joachim Rønning, with a script from Jeff Nathanson. The film is produced by Top Gun producer Jerry Bruckheimer, who acquired the rights to Stout’s book back in 2015.
“Young Woman and the Sea” premieres on Disney+ on July 19.
Source: Variety, Box Office Mojo, Rotten Tomatoes
