In 1939, Swedish single mother Sally Bauer was a long-distance swimmer who took on the ultimate challenge–to swim the English Channel. Facing sexism, raising a seven-year-old, and finding enough money (not to mention World War II) might be more daunting than the swim itself. Josefin Neldén is riveting as Bauer, in Frida Kempff’s triumphant biopic.

As war spreads across Europe, and the Channel begins to look like the frontier between the Allies and the Axis powers, Bauer fights to realize her dream. A top athlete, she also finds herself having to become a promoter, beating her own drum to raise the necessary cash to have time to train and prepare in another country. A complex and heroic film, The Swedish Torpedo is a crowd-pleaser about a little-known trailblazer.