It is a truth universally acknowledged that the world has something of a penchant for biopics. Hell, the mere whiff of the words ‘inspired by a true story’ is more than enough to send a shiver down the spines of audience members and critics alike – especially when there’s a handful of mega stars in the mix.

Take, for instance, Young Woman And The Sea, which brings together the likes of Daisy Ridley, Stephen Graham, Sian Clifford, Christopher Ecclestone, and more besides. It’s a veritable Who’s Who of British stars, for starters, and it’s set to bring the incredible achievements of Olympic champion Gertrude Ederle to the silver screen for the very first time.

Watch the trailer for Young Woman And The Sea below:

Here’s everything you need to know about Young Woman And The Sea, which is based on Glenn Stout’s biography of the same name.

What is Young Woman And The Sea about?

In an attempt to really get under the skin of Gertrude Ederle, this biopic explores how, “through the steadfast support of her older sister and supportive trainers, she overcame adversity and the animosity of a patriarchal society to rise through the ranks of the Olympic swimming team and complete the staggering achievement – a 21-mile trek from France to England”.

Who stars in Young Woman And The Sea?

Ridley takes the lead in this one as Gertrude ‘Trudy’ Ederle, while Tilda Cobham-Hervey appears as Gertrude’s sister, Meg. The aforementioned Graham stars as a sailor tracking down Gertrude’s progress, Ecclestone as her trainer, and Clifford as her swimming instructor.

They are joined onscreen by Kim Bodnia and Glenn Fleshler.

What are people saying about Young Woman And The Sea?

Speaking to Clutch Points about what it was really like to film those all-intensive swimming scenes, Ridley explains: “I think the run-up to the big swim was probably the most difficult time because we had done most of the film already, so I was already tired and we had already done a lot of swimming. So physically [and] emotionally, I was tired. And then I was trying to keep my mind on what we were filming while knowing that I had to prepare for nine days in the sea.

“The build-up was almost worse than the thing, but then there were moments where I thought, How am I going to do this? How am I going to come back tomorrow and do this and the next day, and the next day?”

To help with the stress, Ridley added that she found a wealth of support in the cast and crew: “There were lots of deep breaths, lots of distraction games, and lots of playing music, and staying warm in between times. And honestly, hanging out and being silly.”

When and where can we watch Young Woman And The Sea?

Young Woman And The Sea will open in select UK cinemas on Friday 31 May.

Images: Disney