"Nyad" star Annette Bening brought "sharp edges" to courageous swimmer and refused body touch-ups

“Nyad” is a triumph of the human spirit film, a crowd-pleasing sports drama about achieving the near impossible. It is no surprise that marathon swimmer Diana Nyad (Annette Bening) will realize her dream — to swim from Cuba to the Florida Keys in her 60s. It is how this story is told that matters.

Directors Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin are no strangers to real-life heroics as their documentaries, the Oscar-winning “Free Solo,” and “The Rescue,” have shown. Here, making their feature narrative film debut, Vasarhelyi and Chin use their skills as filmmakers to recreate Diana Nyad’s four subsequent attempts to swim the dangerous 103 miles having first tried to accomplish this feat back in 1978.

“Nyad” features realistic scenes of the multiple efforts, but the film also includes magical realist touches, as when Diana hallucinates. In addition, flashbacks to scenes of Diana as a teenager smitten with her swimming coach — who later sexually abused her — reveal her character.

The film does intercut some real scenes of Nyad with the narrative, and Annette Bening gives a committed performance as the title character. As Diana’s best friend and coach, Bonnie, Jodie Foster steals the film, as both Diana’s cheerleader and drill sergeant.

The filmmakers spoke with Salon about making “Nyad.”

Why did you decide to make a feature film about Diana Nyad’s story, and how was this experience or approach different than your documentaries?

Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi: There was a doc in 2013 [about Nyad] that our nephew made, “The Other Shore,” and we used some of his footage in our film. We’re interested in stories of people who push the limits of what is possible. We were looking to explore that experience from a woman’s point of view. And what two very great, rich roles for two fabulous female actors! It was a perfect storm of things coming together. The approach is very, very different. Instead of observing and watching like a documentary, you have amazing, creative collaborators who are as committed to conjuring these characters. It was a fun and challenging shift.

Jimmy Chin: We were also interested in making a narrative feature to grow as storytellers and filmmakers. We just loved the story for all the reasons Chai mentioned, but also, it is a story about friendship. There is the physical event, of course, which is amazing, but for us, the heart of the film is their friendship.

Can you talk about incorporating real footage of Diana Nyad at various times in the film? 

Vasarhelyi: We were interested in how to tell a true story in narrative fiction, and how it translates from our previous work. The clip [in “Nyad”] of the real Diana on Johnny Carson is the sexiest thing I’ve seen. It doesn’t’ really get better than that. It was alluring and calling to us throughout the edit, and it is a real testament to Annette’s performance that she delivers such truth that it somehow allows your brain to think that Annette is the real Diana. When you are dealing with abuse that happened to her as a child, it’s really important to remind people that this is true, and these things happened.

How did you approach the film visually? There are many shots in or under water, some use colored filters, some have sharks, another scene shows hallucinations. 

Chin: Something we always are interested in is pushing the cinematography as far as we can. We were very fortunate to work with the visionary cinematographer, Claudio Miranda. It’s about trying to show the scale of Diana’s huge endeavor but also move in and shoot in a very intimate way that brings out Diana’s experience that also brings you into her mindset as she is battling the elements and herself.

Diana is a “force,” but she is not always likable. What observations did you have about her character? 

Vasarhelyi: We were excited about this opportunity of showing a woman in her full complexity. The friendship is the beating heart of the film, but it is not often that we get to see women play roles like this, being unafraid of their ambition and their drive, and being unapologetic for who they are. That was part of the attraction of making the film for us

Chin: Annette brought this version of Diana that I thought was really courageous for Annette. She brought the sharp edges; she didn’t just come in and create a likeable character.

Vasarhelyi: She was committed to that idea, and additionally, the swimming. She trained for over year for the physical challenges. It was a very “whole body” commitment. Both Jodie and Annette were adamant that they wanted no touch-ups on their bodies. They wanted to show real women.

Did Diana and Bonnie have any input in the film?  

Vasarhelyi: The script is based on Diana’s autobiography, “Find a Way.” Diana is a very intelligent woman who comes from 30-year career in journalism. She did something I don’t think I could do — she let go and gave us the space and freedom to make the film we wanted to make. The real Bonnie and Diana spent a lot of time with Jodie and Annette, and it was important for Jodie and Annette to see their dynamic together. But they also were able to allow Jodie and Annette to create their own respective Bonnie and Diana. The real Bonnie and Diana came to the shoot at the end, our last day in the tank, which was exciting.

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Diana has her soul ignited by a purpose. The subjects of your films are risk takers. What can you say about getting the high one character says dealing with danger and the rush and challenge of that? 

Vasarhelyi: It’s not dissimilar — trying to make a film and the dreams of some extreme athletic goals. Both seem like miracles to me. But you can probably address this better, Jimmy . . .

Chin: One of the things that drew us to the story and Diana the character — and I will speak for myself, as a longtime professional climber and gear mountaineer — there is courage that people perceive about individuals who are willing to face physical dangers and physical risks. But in my mind, the real courage is pursuing and chasing a dream. There is nothing that makes you more vulnerable than the potential to fail at a dream. That is what I admire about Diana, and that what make this story for me a beautiful story: it’s a story about courage.

“Nyad” is currently in select theaters and will be released on Netflix Nov. 3