208. Against The Tides; movie review
Cert 12A
88 mins
Baca Juga
He has helped me become fitter and last month I ran my first 5km park run.
I mention this because I was exhausted after a 34-minute jog (don't criticise I am 56!) and am, consequently, incredulous at Beth French for swimming for 19 hours!
French is an extreme swimmer. She feels at one with the sea and, therefore, takes on what most of us would consider to be crazy challenges.
Against The Tides is a diary of her attempt to be the first person to swim seven notorious channels in a year.
These range from the one we all know between England and France, one between Northern Ireland and Scotland and others in California, New Zealand, Japan, Hawaii and between Gibraltar and Tunisia.
Her swims would be tough enough if they were in her local swimming pool but, out in the sea, she has to confront jellyfish, sharks, wild weather, hypothermia and fatigue until her wit's end.
There is also the emotional toll which they take on Beth despite her outward bravado.
Stuckert's documentary traces back the beginnings of her swimming obsessive to her recovery from debilitating ME.
Indeed, she had been so ill that she had needed a wheelchair.
This seems truly incredible when it is juxtaposed against swims which require her to keep going despite almost insurmountable odds.
But the biggest hurdle to her completing the seven swims is her son Dylan to whom she is a single parent.
He has relationship difficulties which mean he was taken out of school and it would appear he is on the autistic spectrum.
Is it a good idea to take him around the world on such a tight schedule to witness his mother endangering her life? Interestingly, Beth's mother doesn't think so, believing that Dylan should be her number one priority.
The problem is that Beth has a whole team who have put their lives on hold to back up her great adventure.
The push-me, pull-you of Beth's desire to conquer the seas and her love for her son becomes the film's emphasis.
It actually makes for a more insular film than I expected. Indeed, we weren't clear on whether it was Stuckert's intention but Beth is presented as selfish both towards her family and her team.
That rather takes away from the awesome achievement of long-distance sea swimming.
Reasons to avoid: Too insular at times
Laughs: None
Jumps: None
Vomit: Yes
Nudity: None
Overall rating: 6.5/10
Did you know? Beth French was struck with glandular fever at the age of 10 and diagnosed with ME, also known as Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, at 17, when she was forced to use a wheelchair.
The final word. Beth French: "I don’t remember a time that I didn’t feel compelled into getting into water. I grew up in a time when there wasn’t any digital cameras, so there are not many photos of me but any photos that we do have I seem to be surrounded by water."
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