Young Woman and the Sea tells the inspiring true story of Gertrude “Trudy” Ederle. In 1926 she proved that women could be athletes and accomplish heroic deeds. She was the first woman to swim the English Channel, and she did it in two hours less time than it had taken the men who managed it before her.

Young Woman and the Sea stars Daisy Ridley as adult Trudy. As a child she survived the measles when she was expected to die. (She later went deaf due to the measles.) About the same time she was sick with the measles, a ferry full of women sank and most of the women died because women didn’t know how to swim in those days.

She was determined to learn to swim. Her sister Meg (Tilda Cobham-Hervey as an adult) learned with her. Her mother (Jeanette Hain) supported her efforts. Her father (Kim Bodnia), a Brooklyn butcher, thought women should not swim and didn’t support her for many years.

Trudy found a swimming coach after learning to dog paddle in the ocean. The coach, Eppy Epstein (Sian Clifford), nurtured her and trained her to the point that she won medals at the Olympic Games. The coach taught her free style swimming.

Her first attempt at crossing the channel was apparently sabotaged by the male coach her sponsors made her accept. The film made it seem certain that he did something to prevent her from finishing, but apparently the book ‘Young Woman and the Sea: How Trudy Ederle Conquered the English Channel and Inspired the World’ by Glenn Stout was not as explicit. This is the book the film is based upon.

Trudy went back to France to try again. She met fellow swimmer Bill Burgess (Stephen Graham). He had information about the currents, the ways of taking advantage of the ocean’s behavior rather than fighting against it. He coached her through the second swim.

Trudy was an American hero after her successful swim. She was honored with the largest ticker tape parade (before or since) in New York City history. She made sure her coach Eppy Epstein was in the parade car with her. Her parents and siblings were there, too. Her father had finally decided it was okay for women to compete in sports and was proud of her accomplishments.

Trudy Ederle live to the age of 98. She died in 2003. She was very young when she swam the English Channel. She never married. She spent time as an actor and later became a swimming coach to deaf children.

This courageous, pioneering woman made a huge difference in the world of women’s athletics – not just in swimming. She was inducted into many Halls of Fame and was a hero to young girls who wanted to be more.

The film made me think of Nyad. Both were beautifully shot, full of tension and suspense, with plenty of swimming scenes. But Trudy had none of the modern innovations available to Diana Nyad in her historic swim. No high tech swim suits, no radar or sonar, no shark repellent, no high energy food, no radio communication. The news about Trudy’s swim was sent to shore by carrier pigeon!

Young Woman and the Sea is a Disney production, streaming on Disney+. It’s rated PG, but is absolutely perfect for young people to see and be inspired by. It inspired me! I knew how it was going to turn out, but I was still holding my breath with tension half the time.