As the Me Too era feels like it’s starting to flag, and endless all female reboots of traditionally male franchises has reached peak cringe, smart storytelling featuring female leads feels more important that ever. Hollywood did their bit by putting Times Up centre stage at last years Golden Globes, and kicking three lauded sexual predators out of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (but not before rewarding one of them an Oscar after he’d fled the states to avoid rape charges) and many seem content to let things go back to business as usual.
So it is timely that we get a reminder that women are different to men only in the strength of their convictions in the face of overwhelming sexism, discrimination, adversity and outright misogyny. Enter Maiden, the true story of plucky upstart Tracy Edwards, sick of being told “no”, who took destiny into her own hands. As a 24-year-old charter boat cook, Tracy dreamed of completing the Whitbread round the world yacht race, but as a sailor, not just a cook. Met with outright sexism and brutality from the yachting elite (one crew member told her “girls were only for screwing when you get into port”), Tracy decided to put together an all female crew to enter the race.
Derision and disbelief drowned the crew on all sides. Unable to get sponsorship and determined to prove anyone who doubted her wrong, the young and naïve “not a feminist, I just want to be able to do what I want to do without being stopped because I’m a girl” (FYI, that is feminism), Tracy remortgaged her house (oh to be an aimless 24-year-old in the 80s who can afford to own property), bought a second hand boat, which the crew fixed up themselves, and entered into the race. The media were taking bets on how far the crew would get, the men’s yachting teams did not give a second thought to the girls and thus began the 1989 Whitbread round the world yacht race. On board the race was a gruelling feat of endurance, strength and will. The crew became a well oiled machine, doing what needed to be done and supporting each other throughout. On shore after each leg the media were obsessed with the emotions on board the Maiden, and if the girls were all getting along. It seems ridiculous to think that even today movements like Ask Her More are still having to teach the media how to interact with professional women.
Blessed with a cornucopia of archival footage from news outlets and the films of the crew on board, the thrilling tale of the voyage of the Maiden is a huge, sweeping adventure story, as well as an intimate portrait of the raw emotions on board a round the world yachting vessel. Director Alex Holmes has some sporting documentary pedigree behind him, having directed the critically acclaimed Stop at Nothing: The Lance Armstrong Story, and he has an adept hand when it comes to weaving a thrilling sporting drama on the high seas. One failing of the film I feel is paying too much lip-service to the Maiden’s male competitors and the sexist yachting press who appear to relish the misogyny they printed of Tracy and her crews efforts, and ever now refer to them as “girls” seeming still, 30 years later, baffled by their achievements.
Maiden is a film we really need right now; the true story of incredible women, doing what they love, surprising all the haters, and inspiring countless generations to follow their dreams and not be held back by adversity. Women are incredible, their stories are thrilling and heart-warming and inspirational. If you need a break from the crammed-down-your-throat faux feminism of token female superhero movies or trashy reboots of tired formulas, then do yourself a favour, see Maiden and be inspired to face the world once more.
Maiden is in cinemas from 17th October through Rialto Distribution.
