Movie Review: Maiden

Maiden *** ½ / *****

Directed by: Alex Holmes.

 

Maiden is an inspiring true story of the first all-female crew to race in the Whitbred Around the World Challenge – a grueling yacht race that takes place over about six months, as crews race from one place to another in their boats, taking on the elements that are, of course, harsh and unforgiving. People can, and do, die in this race. The irony is that the ocean is the only equal opportunity offender – the only challenge the crew has to face that doesn’t care that they are an all-female crew.

 

The crew is led by Tracey Edwards – a fine sailor, who is tired of women not being a chance of serving on a crew in these sorts of races, unless you want to cook and clean, and you know, not do any actual sailing. She finds her easiest task in this race is finding fine female sailors – there’s a lot of them just like her who are tired of not being given a chance. Every other task however is made very, very hard. She doesn’t have a boat, she doesn’t have a sponsor – and as much as she tries, it’s hard to get either. When she finally gets the Maiden – it’s an old boat, in need of repair, and she and her crew do just that. She had made friends, strangely, with the King of Jordan – who eventually comes on as her sponsor. And yet, even as it appears everything is ready, she has to deal with the kind of regular, everyday sexism that women have to face from asshole men – who of course find the whole thing funny. They don’t get respect from the crews, journalists write chauvinistic pieces about them. When they are interviewed for TV, they are asked about makeup, asked whether they are lesbians, asked if a crew of women can get along on a boat for this long, etc. They have to answer all these questions with a smile and a laugh – you don’t want to be labelled difficult, or told to smile more now do you.

 

I won’t spoil the results of the race – the different legs, which each have their own winners, etc. I didn’t know them – and unless you follow yacht racing closing (and maybe I’m in the minority in that I don’t) you likely won’t either. The film is full of triumphs and failures, much like you expect in these kinds of sports docs. And, of course, the results don’t matter as much as what the crew pulled off – which is bigger than a win or a loss.

 

So yes, Maiden does indulge in its fair share of sports movie clichés – but then again, this true story seems custom made for those clichés – the true story that proves that clichés can be true. The movie gets some extra credit for not shying away from some of the difficulties the crew faces. This isn’t a movie that tries to suggest that everything was rosy the whole time. There were personality clashes – including one sailor being replaced a week before the race because of conflicts with Edwards. Edwards herself admits mistakes – and admits her own flaws. The crew is able to look back and laugh and smile about much of what happened now – but there were conflicts. But they are the conflicts that likely take place in any confined space when you’re forced to spend grueling months with other people – and had little to do with the fact that they were women.

 

Maiden is the type of inspiring; true life sports story I prefer to see in docs to features. You can imagine this being made into a feature – perhaps by Disney back in the day when they were making films like Remember the Titans or Glory Road, and didn’t just concern themselves with IP. It may even make a good one. But everything would be laid on a little too thick – a little too much cheese in a story that is inspiring on its own, and doesn’t need it.