True Spirit

Effective but simplistic dramatization of then-16 year old Jessica Watson circling the world in a sailboat.

[Todd Lasance](/cast-and-crew/todd-lasance)—a showboater with a punchable smirk who has been given the name "Atherton," presumably an homage to the narcissist portrayed by actor William Atherton in " [Die Hard](/reviews/die-hard-1988)." Watson's memoir and the 2010 documentary about her achievement, "210 Days," are altogether more thorough and nuanced looks at this story, though of course that's nearly always true of documentaries that tell the same story as works of fiction. In real life, as noted in Watson's memoir, her dad vigorously opposed her taking the trip, but the film makes it seem as if he had only a moment's hesitation; and Cliff Curtis' "coach" character, Ben Watson, is a fictionalized version of Watson's real mentor and project manager, Bruce Arms.

A new Netflix film, 'True Spirit', follows 16-year-old sailor Jessica Watson's story. Here's what to know about the film and the true story it's based on.

[mentor in the movie](https://www.womenshealthmag.com/life/sven-spannekrebs-netflix-the-swimmers-now/). But “Ben” is actually based on a group of people who helped Jessica, she [shared on Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/p/CnbdjMLLpbF). [recent podcast, I've Got News For You, where she did an interview](https://go.redirectingat.com/?id=74968X1576255&url=https%3A%2F%2Fpodcasts.apple.com%2Fau%2Fpodcast%2Five-got-news-for-you%2Fid1593788055) about the film and said the movie was pretty accurate. She also has an MBA and has written a second book, a novel called [Indigo Blue](https://www.amazon.com/dp/0734418132). Here’s what the Netflix [movie gets right](https://www.womenshealthmag.com/life/the-empress-true-story-netflix/), what the streamer added, and an update on where Jessica is today. Jessica has repeatedly posted about True Spirit on Instagram, applauding the acting and filmmaking. Teagan Croft, an 18-year-old actress from Australia, takes on the role of Jessica in the film. She was later named Youth Representative for the United Nations World Food Program, and is a founding member of the marine start-up She spent years preparing for her journey, logging 6,000 coastal miles and 6,000 ocean miles, per the Australian Museum. You just have to have a dream, believe in it, and work hard.” She also filmed a documentary while she was at sea, which was later narrated by Richard Branson. Naturally, things aren’t seamless on her journey, and Jessica runs into some terrifyingly rough seas, along with some other challenges.

“With the support of her sailing coach and mentor Ben Bryant (Cliff Curtis) and her parents (Josh Lawson and Academy Award winner Anna Paquin), Jessica is ...

So I was able to bring a level of authenticity that I wouldn’t have been able to without lockdown and isolation. And so, putting some of myself into there, I was really lucky that it was Covid and didn’t see my family so I had a kind of similar emotional experience to Jess, in that time. Teagan Croft: I think so. Jessica Watson: Yeah, I mean, I think it’s so weird for them, right? I think it really hit home when I came to the studios in pre-production and there were walls and walls of rooms covered in inspiration of my life. I’m so glad that I was drawn to it.

It is 2009, and a young Australian teen, Jessica Watson, already an avid sailor at 16 years old, has pledged to sail around the world—solo.

Eventually, the wind comes back, and she is on her way again. Jessica talks to Ben and her family, who implore her to do the safer thing, which is to give up and find a port. This gives her the dose of courage she needs, and she decides to continue with her dream. She remembers why she is doing this and gets her act together. She stops answering her family’s calls and struggles to do her daily tasks. Adding to the already obvious peril set before her is Jessica’s dyslexia.