True Spirit: a movie review by Alex First
The story made world news.
On 15th May 2010 Jessica Watson (Teagan Croft), at age 16, became the youngest person to circumnavigate the globe solo, non-stop and unassisted.
It was just her, a 10-metre-long boat named Ella’s Pink Lady and the elements.
Her mentor was a crusty old salt, Ben Bryant (Cliff Curtis), an accomplished sailor on whom a tragedy weighed heavily.
Watson, one of four children to father Roger (Josh Lawson) and mother Julie (Anna Paquin), took to sailing at an early age.
Having overcome dyslexia, she received heaps of encouragement from her mum, in particular.
She was inspired by the exploits of German Australian sailor Jesse Martin and what he achieved on 31stOctober 1999, when he was 18.
Watson’s eventual success wasn’t without controversy though. Many thought she was too young to attempt such a perilous journey.
And her sea trial almost ended in disaster when Ella was struck by a cargo ship and was dismasted.
On the voyage itself, Watson overcame seven knockdowns (that is when a sailboat is knocked onto its side and touches the water) and monster waves.
True Spirit builds the drama and tension of the journey, as well as the lead up to it and the aftermath.
That includes the media frenzy and the life and death decisions that had to be taken enroute.
The screenplay is by Rebecca Banner, Cathy Randall and director Sarah Spillane.
The family is painted as close knit.
Cliff Curtis realises Ben Bryant as a grizzled and grisly loner, with a strong sense of belief in Watson.
Still, he is not afraid of calling her out when she doesn’t adhere to safety protocols.
Watson comes across as highly capable, someone who – with family encouragement – can achieve her dreams and goals.
Alyla Browne as the younger Jessica is nothing if not persistent, while Teagan Croft brings range to the teenager.
The story unfolds sequentially, but also with flashbacks.
We see the doubts that creep in and how Watson coped with two massive storms, one near the end of her trip that almost resulted in the record attempt being abandoned.
So, not surprisingly, the voyage is an emotional one.
But for all of that, I thought there were many times that the movie appeared artificial.
These were clearly actors playing their parts. Humour was introduced to aid the feel-good nature of the picture.
The best films bring with them a belief on the part of an audience that the performers are transposed into the characters they are playing. I never felt that in True Spirit.
More than that, I thought that many of the characterisations were being carefully and noticeably stage managed.
Among them was Todd Lasance as TV reporter Craig Atherton – a mainstay throughout the production – who undergoes an expected metamorphosis.
In short, I was looking for more depth from the offering, which has the look and feel of an old-style telemovie.
There are no great revelations, with True Spirit being fundamentally predictable.
Nevertheless, none of this takes anything away from Jessica Watson’s simply amazing achievement, which I – along with so many others – admire so much.
You can see True Spirit on Netflix from 3rd February.
Rated PG, it scores a 6 out of 10. Running time 106 minutes
