

This made-for-TV bio-pic is about Marilyn Bell, a Canadian teenager who, in 1954, was the first person to swim across Lake Ontario. She won the Toronto Canadian National Exhibition prize after Florence Chadwick, a then-famous American swimmer who was widely expected to win, dropped out in the middle of the race. Half of this heart-warming movie is devoted to the 21 hour swim in which the 16-year old Bell is exhorted by her pushy coach Gus Ryder not to give up.

Caroline Dhavernas
Marilyn Bell
Lead
Amy Sloan
Joan

Graeme Somerville
George Bryant

Vlasta Vrana
George McBlair

Kent McQuaid
Myron Peters

Lisa Bronwyn Moore
Patsy MacKinnon

Ron White
Gus Ryder

Claudia Besso
Florence Chadwick
“A staggering achievement of craft and ambition. Manon Briand's vision lands with breathtaking precision.”
“Every frame feels alive. Heart: The Marilyn Bell Story is the rare release that takes its audience seriously.”