The new Netflix film tells the incredible true story of a teenager’s incredible sea voyage.
Following hot on the heels of Netflix original biopics The Swimmers and Bank of Dave, True Spirit has landed on the streamer and captured the attention of viewers with another incredible true story.
This time, it’s the real-life Australian teenager Jessica Watson, a sailor who attempted to become the youngest person ever to sail around the world.
Titans‘ Teagan Croft stars as Watson in the new biopic, which follows all the ups and downs of her journey, including some horrendously rough seas, as well as plenty of other challenges.
Other cast members include Cliff Curtis (Avatar: The Way of Water), Josh Lawson (Bombshell) and Anna Paquin (X-Men).
Read on for everything you need to know about the real-life inspiration behind True Spirit on Netflix.
True Spirit: Is the Netflix movie a true story?
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It is. True Spirit is based on the real-life story of Jessica Watson, as was previously covered in the documentary film 210 Days – Around the World with Jessica Watson.
That documentary was filmed by Watson herself, narrated by Sir Richard Branson and originally aired on Network 10 in Australia.
Watson also wrote a book about her experiences, which will be published later this year and is also called True Spirit.
Talking about what it was like seeing her life recreated on screen, author Watson told Comingsoon.net: “Oh, it’s so strange. You have no idea how weird it was.”
She continued: “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. And I’m like, ‘This is a bit weird and almost a little bit creepy.’”
Who is Jessica Watson?
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Jessica Watson, whose story is told in the Netflix film True Spirit, is an Australian sailor who was born in 1993 in Queensland and currently lives in Melbourne.
She became world famous across 2009 and 2010 when she attempted a journey to become the youngest person ever to sail solo, non-stop and unassisted around the world, at the age of just 16.
It took her 210 days on a 33-foot vessel, with her journey starting on 18th October 2009 and returning to Sydney on 15th May 2010.
Along her journey, Watson endured gale force winds, rocky seas and months of solitude, while also surviving seven knockdowns.
She completed her circumnavigation, but her record of being the youngest sailor to do so is unofficial, due to discrepancies surrounding the exact distance she travelled in nautical miles.
She went on to be awarded the Order of Australia Medal.
How does the Netflix film dramatise Jessica’s story?
The official synopsis for the Netflix film True Spirit says: “When the tenacious young sailor Jessica Watson (Teagan Croft) sets out to be the youngest person to sail solo, non-stop and unassisted around the world, many expect her to fail.
“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 determined to accomplish what was thought to be impossible, navigating some of the world’s most challenging stretches of ocean over the course of 210 days.”
You can watch the trailer for the film right here now.
True Spirit is streaming now on Netflix. Sign up for Netflix from £6.99 a month. Netflix is also available on Sky Glass and Virgin Media Stream.
You can pre-order True Spirit: The Aussie Girl Who Took on the World by Jessica Watson now.
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