Maiden (2018)

I've been reviewing the biggest box office blockbusters recently, mostly because I feel like I have something to say about them, and also because they're fairly accessible. With an AMC A-list subscription and three AMC theaters readily in my area, many films require little to no effort to get to.

But what about independent cinema? What about those little films that don't get exposure, that aren't on the top of a lot of peoples' list of films to see in theaters? I've seen my fair share of lesser known films, from Midsommar, Booksmart, The Farewell, and The Art of Self-Defense. But the film I really recommend people see, and one that may be a little tough to access, is Maiden, a documentary about the first all-female crew to sail in the Whitbread Round the World Race in 1989.

There's nothing particularly innovative about the way the film is made; plentiful talking head interviews intercut with footage of the race does a serviceable enough job of telling the story. Luckily, these women are expert storytellers, and their interviews are woven together to tell the fascinating tale of how they came together, and especially about their skipper and navigator, Tracy Edwards.

Of course the female crew is met with the usual challenges women face when trying to prove they can equal men. They are ridiculed, they are written off as not being able to even accomplish one leg of the race, and they face challenges including finding the sponsorship to even enter the race. What fragile egos men have; when our masculinity is threatened, we lash out at the very idea that we could be beaten by a gender perceived as weaker, less able.

Times are thankfully changing in that regard, yet witnessing Edwards and her crew's struggles and triumphs is inspiring and moving. It's an incredible story, one that would make one hell of a feature film (or miniseries for that matter), and I highly recommend and encourage everyone to seek out this incredible story for themselves.