Everything Netflix’s True Spirit Movie Changes From The Real Story

Netflix’s True Spirit does a good job of telling Jess Watson’s circumnavigation story, but there are a few differences from Jess’ real-life journey.

Many movies change some details from the real story, and while Netflix’s True Spirit is relatively accurate, it still has some key differences from the truth. True Spirit tells the story of Jess Watson, an Australian teen who attempted to become the youngest person to solo circumnavigate the globe. Jess’ journey lasted 210 days, from October 18, 2009 to May 15, 2010, and despite facing obstacles and opposition, her circumnavigation remains an impressive feat, which True Spirit aims to celebrate.

During her journey in Netflix’s True Spirit, Jess was supported from Australia by her family and her mentor, Ben, who guided her through the obstacles that the teen faced. However, while the Netflix movie does a good job of dramatizing Jess’ story for the most part, some details deviate from real life for the sake of the movie’s plot. Here are all the details that Netflix’s True Spirit changed from real life.

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Netflix’s True Spirit Changes Some Key Details From The Real Story

One of the biggest changes that Netflix made to the real story behind True Spirit‘s true story surrounds the character of Ben Bryant, who serves as Jess’ mentor throughout her journey. In real life, Ben Bryant doesn’t actually exist. The character in True Spirit serves as a composite of several different people who made up the team that was supporting the real-life Jess Watson on her journey.

There were also some other, smaller details that Netflix changed from True Spirit’s real story. True Spirit depicted some of the issues that Jess faced, but in reality, she faced several other obstacles the movie left out. During the journey, Jess’ boat required far more small repairs over the course of her circumnavigation than the movie included. Instead, True Spirit only featured a few of these issues, choosing instead to focus on other obstacles Jess faced, such as the weather and her own emotional turmoil.

Perhaps most significant, True Spirit leaves out the fact that Jess didn’t actually break the world record. In real life, there were a few obstacles that stopped Jess short of breaking the record. Jess was not able to complete the circumnavigation based on the technical definition and the WSSRC (World Sailing Speed Record Council) does not recognize the records of sailors under 18 years old. Rather than including this disappointing fact, the Netflix movie True Spirit instead chooses to celebrate Jess for her accomplishments.

Why Netflix’s True Spirit Changing Some Details Makes Sense

Audiences tend to deride adaptations for changing details from the original story, but it sometimes makes the most sense, and this is the case for Netflix’s True Spirit. For a real story like True Spirit, changing details helps make the story into a coherent narrative. Doing this helps make the story more interesting and enjoyable. This is the case for True Spirit, as making changes like creating Ben’s character or leaving out that Jess didn’t break the world record streamlines its story. Making these changes better serves True Spirit’s goal of being an inspirational, feel-good story, which the Netflix movie excels at, even if certain details aren’t true.

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