"Nyad" A story of friendship between women, told by Annette Bening and Jodie Foster

Annette Bening and Jodie Foster's friendship

In an interview published in the LA Times (23.12.11), Jodie Foster reflected on Annette Bening: "She has this dual nature. She's great at playing characters who are insecure and ambitious, but she's also so stoic and never complains. And when I saw her underwater for hours, I was really worried."

Annette, meanwhile, told the paper, "I was nervous about the role at first, but I was completely absorbed in swimming. She was taking a deep breath after each stroke, and she was looking at Bonnie on the boat."

As for the real-life Naiad, he said: "I love her and respect her. She's incredibly intelligent and open. When I talk to her and look into her eyes, I realise there's a lot there. She's sweet, complicated and somewhat fragile."

She also believes there was "pain" in her early swimming, because, as the film depicts, she was sexually abused by her coach as a teenager. Coach Nelson was a Hall of Fame member of the swimming world, but Nyad later mustered the courage to speak out against him. The film also explores the trauma of her past and the unhappy relationship between her parents.

The film "Naiad: The Determination to Cross the Sea" is now available exclusively on Netflix

In addition, both she and Bonnie are homosexuals. The two are not lovers, but appear as ultimate friends. "To portray their friendship, it was necessary to depict conflict," says Bening. There are scenes in which Bonnie speaks harsh words to Nyad, who has a somewhat self-centered way of thinking, but Bonnie makes up for Nyad's character flaws and the friendship between the two continues. "I was really happy that the film showed the deep bond between women," says Bening, and another major attraction of this film is the natural way it depicts the relationship between two middle-aged women who met in their 30s and maintained a friendship into their 60s.

The Los Angeles characters share dogs, go shopping together and occasionally play ping pong. "They both love competition and they love The Game, so I really wanted to bring that dynamic into the film," Bening said.

The screenplay for the film is by Julia Cox, a rising star, and is based on Nyad's memoir "Find a Way," published in 2016. In 2020, producers Teddy Schwartzman and Andrew Lazar approached the filmmakers about adapting the book.

Cox, who spoke with Diana herself via Zoom, describes Nyad as "a powerful woman full of vitality." He aims to write a "story of friendship and a portrait of a confident woman," and he polished the script and deepened the content while reading with the actors.

Music that naiads listen to underwater