Daisy Ridley is a marvel as the accomplished swimmer Trudy Ederle, who was born to immigrant parents in New York City in 1905, and who went on to become the first woman to successfully swim the English Channel. Through the steadfast support of her older sister and supportive trainers, she overcame adversity and the animosity of a patriarchal society to rise through the ranks of the Olympic swimming team and complete the staggering achievement – a 21-mile trek from France to England.
In what has been a rousing year for celebrating the extraordinary achievements of trailblazing women in the world of swimming (following the awe-inspiring tribute to the feats of Diana Nyad in Nyad and the stirring dramatisation of Mercedes Gleitze’s Vindication Swim), Young Woman and the Sea proves to be another inspiring plunge into the sporting triumphs of history.