The 96th Academy Awards honors the top films, directors, actors, and actresses for 2023. Presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the Oscars will take place at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, California on March 10th 2024.
The full list of nominees is posted here.
Among the nominees were two actors who portrayed an open water swimmer (Annette Bening) and her coach (Jodie Foster) in the film Nyad. Directed by Academy Award winners Jimmy Chin and Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi, the film is based on Find a Way, Nyad’s autobiography and took 7 years from the writing of original screenwriting and the global release on the Netflix platform.
Best Actress
- Annette Bening, Nyad
- Lily Gladstone, Killers of the Flower Moon
- Sandra Hüller, Anatomy of a Fall
- Emma Stone, Poor Things
- Carey Mulligan, Maestro
Best Supporting Actress
- Jodie Foster, Nyad
- Emily Blunt, Oppenheimer
- Danielle Brooks, The Color Purple
- America Ferrera, Barbie
- Da’Vine Joy Randolph, The Holdovers
Steven Munatones observed, “The success of the movie Nyad is based on the outstanding performances of Annette Bening and Jodie Foster, along with Rhys Ifans. The energy between the two actors that is based on the dynamic relationship between Diana Nyad and Bonnie Stoll.”
Out in the ocean between Cuba and Florida, during a marathon swim down a river, or sitting on an escort boat in a lake, the relationship developed between the swimmer and a coach – like Diana and Bonnie – that was colorfully captured by Bening and Foster in Nyad – is a unique Japanese concept of mutual understanding and communication – called ishin-denshin (以心伝心 in Japanese, roughly translated as “what the mind thinks the heart transmits“).
When means of communication is limited in marathon swims, information between coach and athlete must be conveyed in unspoken or unwritten ways. This nonverbal, mutual understanding between a coach and an open water swimmer is something special and is developed over time.
When open water swimmers and their coaches communicate through a nod, a smile, a thumbs up, a wink, a wave or a “look” (seen through a pair of goggles or sunglasses) while in the open water, this is an example of isshin-denshin. Unknown or unseen by others, this form of communication is profound and conveys deep meaning. Both coach and athlete literally feel the communication and internalize the messages being relayed from coach-to-athlete and from athlete-to-coach.
In the movie, Foster portrayed this ishin-denshin both on the water and on dryland as Diana and Bonnie always do in real life. And that acting on the part of both Foster and Bening were recognized by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
These implied communication skills, that are occasionally unfathomable by others onshore or on the escort boat, are one reason why many people in the open water world understand the concept of ‘what the mind thinks the heart transmits.’
Bening and Foster captured that ishin denshin flawlessly in the film. In real life, while Nyad either talked or swam, Stoll understood, observed, listened, and either spoke softly or sternly to get her own points across to Nyad. Her openness and honesty, encouragement and support, were the invaluable parts of Nyad’s success.
A nod, a smile, a thumbs up, a wink, a wave, kind words, or a stern look were the actions that Nyad and Stoll give each other even now – and that Bening and Foster acted so beautifully and accurately in the film Nyad.
Foster captured all the nuances, facial expressions, and emotions of a great coach who is deeply invested in a swimmer’s success – time and time again throughout the history of channel crossings and marathon swims – the ishin-denshin has been utilized. In the movie, Foster pushes Bening on dryland and in the water when necessary and perfectly balances Stroll’s innate gritty toughness with a deep emotional tenderness. Foster doesn’t address Nyad’s swimming technique or details of her workout sessions, but instead focuses on her motivation, approach, and mindset.
Foster’s facial expressions capture the worries, stress, and joys that ride a constantly undulating wave of emotions throughout the film – from its planning stages to its failed attempts and ultimate success. That is open water swimming’s ishin-denshin personified: what the mind thinks the heart transmits.
© 2024 Daily News of Open Water Swimming
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