By Jorge Ignacio Castillo

(Remember when movie titles had articles? Kids today…)

National Anthem (USA, 2023. Dir: Luke Gilford): A low-key talent, Charlie Plummer is one of the most exciting young actors out there… for those paying attention. His forlorn turn as a teen craving stability in Andrew Haigh’s Lean on Pete should have made him a star. Instead, Plummer has been bouncing around indies of dubious quality.

Luckily, National Anthem is one of the best ones. Plummer is Dylan, a withdrawn construction worker dreaming of driving an RV across America, away from his problematic mother (an unrecognizable Robyn Lively). In need of cash and to provide for his little brother, Dylan takes a job as a ranch hand for a community of queer rodeo performers.

New to this environment, Dylan falls head over hills for Sky (Eve Lindley), a transgender woman who’s also sweet on him never mind her preexisting relationship with the commune’s chieftain.

If you expect high drama from National Anthem, you have another thing coming. While there’s a triangle of sorts, the attention is focused on Dylan’s journey of discovery: his first chance to explore his sexuality is bound to be messy. The gentleness of the film towards the characters is commendable, but also counterproductive as deprives the story of any propulsion (conflict is every drama’s secret sauce). Regardless, this is the kind of films people with no knowledge of the transgender experience should be exposed to. Bring the Trumpian in your household. 3/5 stars. Now playing in theatres.

Young Woman and the Sea (USA/UK, 2024. Dir: Joachim Rønning): There’s something reassuring about Disney sports movies: there’s no ambiguity, subtext, or narrative shenanigans. The villains are circumstances and caricatures, not people. They’re as easy to digest as warm soup.

Young Woman and the Sea fits the mold: it was the roaring twenties. Women’s sports weren’t considered feminine, and most parents would rather dissuade their daughters from getting involved in that kind of activity (it would spoil them for marriage). Alas, German immigrant Trudy Ederle (Daisy Ridley) would not be dissuaded. Not one to roll over, Trudy beats the measles, misogyny, the American Olympic Committee, chauvinism, the English Channel, and toxic masculinity to become one of the most celebrated swimmers of the twentieth century.

Based on real events, Young Woman and the Sea is effective in what sets out to do: bring down the patriarchy for about two hours. Directed by water specialist Joachim Rønning (Kon-Tiki, Pirates of the Caribbean V), the film features several ‘pinch hitters’—Christopher Eccleston, Stephen Graham, Fleabag’ Sian Clifford— to elevate the material. Not the most malleable performer, only Ridley comes short (somehow, I didn’t buy her as a 16-year-old.) She swims a lot and probably got super fit, so there’s that. 3/5 stars. Now playing in Disney+.