Netflix’s latest film, True Spirit, tells the real-life story of Jessica Watson, who sailed across the world seas solo at the age of 16. But the film renders it a sanitised tale that focuses more on inspiration than perseverance.
In 2009, on the first night of her trial run, 16-year-old Jessica’s (Teagan Croft) boat collides with a massive container ship in the sea and she is brought back ashore. The incident, right before she is supposed to depart for her world-record-breaking journey, thrusts her into a harsh media spotlight where questions are raised on whether a teenager should even be allowed to undertake this feat. There are also talks of a proposed government bill to stop her from going altogether. In telling a story about a teenager out alone in the rough seas for 210 days, the film chooses to double down on hitting back at these hurdles at land, but this only leaves the story wanting the feats of human endurance it could have explored.
Since Jessica chose to undertake this arduous journey, her obstacles and successes take a different contour than someone who was thrust into such a situation by accident. Determined to follow in the footsteps of Jesse Martin, who successfully attempted this feat in 1999, Jessica derives her motivations from wanting to prove her naysayers wrong. Though valid, this being the only major hurdle she is shown overcoming weakens the foundation of the film.
True Spirit (English)
Months into her expedition, and having crossed her fair share of choppy seas, Jessica is met with a week’s worth of stagnation. With no wind at the sea, her sailboat refuses to move forward. During the calmer days in the ocean, Jessica is shown to struggle with her difficult emotions. Now that she is not busy navigating and keeping her boat and herself safe, Jessica’s mind fixates on loneliness and self-doubt, and in a moment of anger, she even lashes out at her coach Ben. One of the more compelling segments of the film shows Jessica confronting her own choices, however, the rest of the film plateaus around it.
The film also makes it a habit to repeatedly cut back to Jessica’s childhood to hammer in more of what we already know — that she has the required determination to complete the journey. This harkening back is also frequently done right in the middle of Jessica facing massive storms or 70-foot waves, therefore diluting the desired effect of overcoming adversity. This feature also extends to the writing which leans heavily on exposition and is rife with dialogues picked from a daily motivational calendar.
In all its runtime, True Spirit does make a sincere-enough attempt to convey the sentiments of a teenager who wants to achieve her ambitious dreams. A young girl wanting to take on all the oceans in the world does make for a compelling tale. However, in wanting to throw up a grand image of inspiration, the film misses out on exploring the intricacies of human hardships.
True Spirit is currently streaming on Netflix
