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Bening gives it her all as Diana Nyad, who set out aged 60 to swim from Cuba to Florida, but the film skims over Nyad’s backstoryLoneliness isn’t exactly the issue for the long-distance swimmer in this earnestly acted real-life motivational drama. It’s about Diana Nyad, a retired American swim champ turned sportscaster who, at 60 years old, set out to front-crawl her way uninterrupted from Cuba to Florida – 103 miles or five English Channels – facing down the sharks, the jellyfish and the sexist and ageist condescension. All through this story, people are crowding up to her: best friend Bonnie, grumpy, plain-speaking captain John in the accompanying boat, memories of her dad who inspired her and her coach who abused her.And of course the whole idea of people getting close to Nyad assumes a new significance. She must swim alone – retching and shitting in the water by herself, taking liquified nourishment on the end of a pole, wearing a stifling anti-jellyfish mask and staying within the anti-shark electronic pulse field – because if anyone touches her, the whole attempt is void. Continue reading...