The New Annette Bening Netflix Movie Is Already Mired In Controversy

Who doesn't love a little awards season drama? In a typical year for Oscar hopefuls, the autumn and winter months are typically reserved for more self-inflicted controversies regarding the star-studded red carpet celebrations, from inexplicable snubs from voters (who clearly didn't actually watch every movie or show that they should've), to those classic anonymous quotes from industry insiders in the trades who shamelessly flaunt their idiocy (and sometimes bigotry!) for the world to see, to downright anti-movie decisions courtesy of the ceremonies themselves (#NeverForget when the Oscars decided to cut several categories from airing on the live broadcast).

But this newest curveball on the horizon stands out for a few reasons. It involves the biggest streamer in the world, Netflix. It centers on a real-life figure who will be played by one of the best character actors in the business in Annette Bening. And in a cinema landscape where the ongoing SAG-AFTRA strike means that most performers are unable to throw their star power behind the marketing of their movies, this could have the potential of completely upending a dark horse contender for Oscars gold.

The movie in the eye of this hurricane, from directors Jimmy Chin and Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi (the same duo behind the 2018 documentary "Free Solo"), is titled "Nyad" and focuses on the record-breaking accomplishment of swimmer Diana Nyad. Known for free-swimming the formidable 110-mile stretch of water between Cuba and Florida in 2013, a feat performed by only two people before, the real headline-grabbing wrinkle came from the fact that she did so after 30 years away from the sport at the age of 64. But allegations of exaggerated claims, Nyad's Trump-like behavior, and the skepticism of an entire community have created a cloud over a film that will soon find itself in the spotlight.

Unlike their previous films, directors Jimmy Chin and Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi (who are married) approached "Nyad" as a narrative biopic with room for taking creative license, not as a documentary strictly confined to the facts, but their passion project has nevertheless found itself in the crosshairs of controversy. The Los Angeles Times recently published a lengthy profile on the production and the eye-catching details swirling around the real-life swimmer who is the reason the movie exists in the first place. Is this truly the inspiring tale of heroism and determination that it appears to be on the surface, or are there more troubled waters lurking just beneath the waves?

At first blush, the practically made-for-cinema selling points are easy to see. Having risen to prominence in the 1970s as the rare combination of an accomplished swimmer and role model who happens to be a gay woman, Diana Nyad's natural charisma and early triumphs brought her national attention. But there were also failures, as the LA Times report notes setbacks such as how she didn't qualify for the Olympics, failed to swim cross the English Channel, and fell short of her first attempt to swim from Cuba to Florida in 1978 at the age of 29.

But after her 2013 success, blowback soon followed as the swimming community raised questions over the stunt. Many noted how unaffected Nyad appeared to be in the moments after her grueling swim — especially in delivering a victory speech, when most exhausted swimmers would've been unable to stand or even speak. More scrutiny revealed a lack of official governing oversight of the swim, the fact that much of the attempt wasn't recorded on video, and even a strange uptick in speed near the midpoint of her attempt. Too good to be true?

It's usually poor form to start prognosticating a movie's awards odds before it has even released, but, for many reasons, "Nyad" represents a unique situation. Consider how an incredibly detailed independent report documented several of the corners that Nyad cut throughout her record-setting swim, the rules she flagrantly defied, and whether the swim had even been officially sanctioned in the first place (all typical patterns of behavior for Nyad, as laid out in the LA Times piece). Yet, ultimately, the report comes to the conclusion that there is no evidence that her swim was ever aided by her observational team or any other methods of cheating — though Nyad herself acknowledges that, having had her swim speed boosted by a favorable ocean current, she'd accept the "asterisk" of having performed an "assisted" swim as opposed to an "unassisted" one.

Ultimately, Nyad's arrogance and divisive behavior in the public spotlight, her well-established history of embellishing her own achievements in multiple different mediums ("Am I embarrassed to have inflated my own record when my record is pretty good on its own? Yes, it makes me cringe," she admits to the LA Times), and the doubt cast over her achievement of a lifetime all combine to put "Nyad," an otherwise straightforward biopic, at risk of becoming the next big awards controversy — fairly or otherwise. Of course, previously troubled films have had no trouble reaching Oscars glory, such as when 2018's "Green Book" overcame even more public and widely-discussed controversies on its path to winning the Academy Award for Best Picture.

In the end, "Nyad" may not even rise to that level of discourse. But as awards season ramps up, it's always worth knowing the true story, and not just Hollywood's version of it. 

"Nyad" debuts hits Netflix on November 3, 2023.