As of Feb. 3, the film “True Spirt” dedicated to the extreme feat of Jessica Watson, an Australian girl who in 2010 at the age of 16 completed a solo round-the-world sailing trip.
Between 2009 and 2010, an Australian girl just 16 years old, Jessica Watson, did what no one had ever done in the history of sailing. He succeeded in completing the round-the-world sailing solo nonstop and unassisted passing the great capes-Horn, Leewin and Good Hope. Now 15 years after that crazy feat, not without controversy, Watson’s adventure becomes a movie for Netflix titled True Spirit and will be visible in free-to-air starting Feb. 3.
How to face the oceans at 16
Jessica Watson departed from Sydney Harbor aboard Ella’s Pink Lady, a 34-foot Spark&Sthephen that the girl had wanted to paint all pink. His goal was to return to the Australian city before his 17th birthday. And thus record the youngest person in the world to have achieved the feat.
Beyond the risks and sacrifices of such an experience, even before leaving, Watson and her parents faced a storm of controversy that not only questioned the girl’s true sailing skills but also cried out for recklessness and lack of responsibility on the part of the entire Australian community in allowing a teenager to descend into such madness.
True Spirit: An extreme adventure stronger than controversy
In addition, a month before departure, the Watson while performing a test sail from Queensland to Sydney had collided with a 63,000-ton freighter. Even in the aftermath of the incident, many observers had appealed to her parents to prevent her from setting sail. But Watson was absolutely determined to go, and after enduring months and months of arduous sailing in the world’s stormiest seas, she eventually returned triumphant to Australia where her feat was later welcomed into the Australian Sailing Hall of Fame.
The film True Spirit, which is based on the book of the same name published a few years ago, tells the whole adventure of Jessica Watson with a compelling storyline that emphasizes both the sporting and human aspects of the story. Playing Jessica Watson in the film is actress Teagan Croft, who fully immerses herself in a story that is about adventure, but also about love, hope and survival. A great emotional journey that raises philosophical questions about human agency, the relationship with nature, and the desire for challenge.
