PG | 1h 49min | Drama, Biopic | 2023
In the film, Jessica (Teagan Croft) one of four children in the boisterous Watson family, is the only child dedicated to sailing. It wasn’t that her parents Julie (Anna Paquin) and Roger (Josh Lawson) didn’t encourage their other children to fall in love with the ocean, too. But Jessica stayed in love, unlike her older sister Emily, younger brother Stacy, and kid sister Vivien. Her voiceover gushes, “By the time I was 12, I was obsessed.”
Before She Goes
Jessica isn’t content with passion alone. Over the next four years she learns to sail. Guided by her advisor Ben Byrant (Cliff Curtis), Jessica readies herself and her satellite phone-equipped sailboat, “Pink,” to beat a world record. As a pre-teen, her mother had read to her from Jesse Martin’s book about his becoming the youngest person, in 1999, to solo-circumnavigate in a sailboat. Now she dreams of being at sea, the wind in her hair, and sailing.
Ms. Spillane’s opening scene acts as a disclaimer of sorts. A hill-sized cargo ship bruises Jessica’s sailboat at night during a pre-voyage test run; she fell asleep, forgetting to activate the boat’s alert system, only narrowly missing a collision that would’ve meant serious injury or death. Ms. Spillane plays devil’s advocate, warning audiences that Jessica is young, out to have fun, and sometimes in over her head. She closes the film with edited footage of how Jessica stayed true to the spirit of her journey.
Stunning Cinematography
Cinematographer Danny Ruhlmann and Ms. Spillane pull off dreamy, spectacular sequences of Jessica, her boat, and the ocean, with a bewildering array of day and night camera shots and angles. Sometimes the water, reflecting a starry night sky, looks like it’s right out of a painting: as if someone has strewn pearls on a black carpet. At other times its wall of foam is horrifyingly real.Ms. Spillane’s portrayal of the family is usually convincing. They close ranks when they sense an attack on Jessica from outsiders; naysayers, or a hostile and nosy media. Privately, they’re argumentative, even skeptical about whether their petite girl is up to dealing with mighty ocean currents.
Occasionally, the choreography of scenes of the family and their face-offs with the media is a tad awkward. Some characterizations and arcs are too neat or sudden. But the film’s heart is in the right place. Watch for Vivien Turner, who plays Jessica’s little sister. Her chubby face, mischievous smile, twinkling eyes, and gift of gab, steal every scene she’s in.
Ms. Spillane’s Jessica is clear that you don’t need to be someone special or gifted to be able to succeed. You do need a dream, the resolve to follow it, and tons of patience and hard work. In one of the most stirring moments, Jessica’s alone on her boat, weeping into her video camera, telling fans worldwide who are expectantly watching her blog posts, “Living your dream is hard. … I’ve been crying for hours. I’m tired. I’m sore … I miss my family … I’m not always fine, or strong, or fearless. I’m often terrified. … I think a lot about giving up.”
