By Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram)
While watching the 2023 Netflix film “True Spirit,” I couldn’t help but side with the journalists in the story who thought it wasn’t a good idea for a 16-year-old kid to decide to sail around the world unassisted. The movie is based on the real-life tale of Jessica Watson, who set sail from Australia with a lot of love and support from her family. “True Spirit” might remind some viewers of the 2007 American biographical drama “Into the Wild,” but unlike 24-year-old Christopher, who couldn’t survive living out in the wild, Jessica had fortune on her side and returned home a sailing hero.
Directed by Sarah Spillane, “True Spirit” stars Teagan Croft as Australian teen Jessica, who dreams of becoming the youngest person in the world to sail solo and non-stop around the world. When her first dry-run ends within a day after she hits a merchant vessel while taking a short nap, there are a lot of questions in the media about whether a 16-year-old should be allowed to undertake such a perilous journey. Despite strong skepticism and multiple hurdles, Jessica wades into deep waters to make her dream come true.
As far as cinematography goes, “True Spirit” is beautiful to look at and has some great oceanic shots. However, it excessively romanticizes the high seas and its dangers. Teagan Croft as Jessica reminded me a lot of “Stranger Things” star Millie Bobby Brown, but the same cannot be said about her acting skills. Teagan seemed more like a teen model on a long sea holiday than a young sailor battling anxiety, loneliness, and mother nature on a journey of a lifetime. Anna Paquin stood out a lot more in her smaller supporting role as Jessica’s mother Julie Watson, who wholeheartedly supports her dyslexic daughter’s ambitions but cannot help but have her heart in her throat knowing her little girl is out alone at the mercy of unpredictable waves and storms.
Vivien Turner delivers an adorable performance as Jessica’s sprightly younger sister, Hannah Watson, who takes on the responsibility of handling the media for her family whenever they require an update on Jessica’s progress. However, “True Spirit” tends to gloss over the many challenges that come with navigating the world alone, resulting in a Disney-like adventure about “taking risks and following your dream.” Unfortunately, the script is cluttered with cliches, forgettable dialogue, and familiar tropes, which make it difficult to truly engage with the story. Despite the creators’ attempts to portray the difficulties of sailing solo, it all seems a little too easy and therefore comes across as rather deceptive.
“True Spirit” has a typical emotional but happy ending – the protagonist getting the kind of climax they deserve. The rest of the story could’ve used some more work to make the audience really connect with onscreen Jessica.
It’s a 6 on 10 from me.
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