From war-torn Syria to the 2016 Rio Olympics, two young sisters embark on a harrowing journey as refugees, putting both their hearts and champion swimming skills to heroic use.From war-torn Syria to the 2016 Rio Olympics, two young sisters embark on a harrowing journey as refugees, putting both their hearts and champion swimming skills to heroic use.From war-torn Syria to the 2016 Rio Olympics, two young sisters embark on a harrowing journey as refugees, putting both their hearts and champion swimming skills to heroic use.
- Nominated for 1 BAFTA Award
- 1 win & 4 nominations total
- Director
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaA lot of the actors that were on the rubber dinghy were actual refugees, called in order to achieve honesty in the story telling. The seasickness and fainting scene were also real.
- ConnectionsFeatured in EE BAFTA Film Awards (2023)
- SoundtracksBrighter Than The Sun
Written by Colbie Caillat and Ryan Tedder
Featured review
As "The Swimmers" (2022 release from Turkey; 135 min) opens, we are in "2011, a suburb of Damascus, Syria", and we get to know sisters Yursa and Sara, whose father is also their swim coach. We then go to "2015, Four Years Later", and the civil war in Syria is destroying everything. Yursa and Sara, now 17 yo, decide to flee Syria, accompanied by their cousin. At this point we are less than 15 minutes in the movie.
Couple of comments: this is the latest from Welsh-Egyptian director Sally El Hoisani ("My Brother The Devil). Here she brings the true story of the Mardini family, in particular Yursa and Sara, who are competitive swimmers. The film is really several movies into one: the dramatic journey these sisters, and many more like them, were taking that particular year (2015) to escape the living hell that was (is) Syria. There are no words, frankly. (You may recall that when Germany was confronted with wave after wave of refugees, then=Chancellor Angela Merkel famously declared "wir schaffen das", "we can handle this". One of the most courageous political decisions by a Western leader EVER.) The film also brings the account of Yusra as the underdog swimmer trying to reach the 2016 Olympics, at reminding of being "Rocky" for swimming. Last but not least, the film also reminds us that these refugees are first and foremost people like you and me, going up against impossible situations and circumstances of life. The film is a little long for its own good, but it's a minor complaint. Yusra and Sara are played by real life sisters Nathalie and Manai Issa.
"The Swimmers" had a limited US theatrical run earlier this month, and it started streaming on Netflix just a few days ago. The movie is currently rated 82% Certified Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes, and for good reason. If you have any interests in understanding why it is that millions upon millions of people have fled Syria over the last decade and what they go through to try and reach safety in Europe, or if you are looking for a good underdog story set in the world of competitive swimming, I'd readily suggest you check this out, and draw your own conclusion.
Couple of comments: this is the latest from Welsh-Egyptian director Sally El Hoisani ("My Brother The Devil). Here she brings the true story of the Mardini family, in particular Yursa and Sara, who are competitive swimmers. The film is really several movies into one: the dramatic journey these sisters, and many more like them, were taking that particular year (2015) to escape the living hell that was (is) Syria. There are no words, frankly. (You may recall that when Germany was confronted with wave after wave of refugees, then=Chancellor Angela Merkel famously declared "wir schaffen das", "we can handle this". One of the most courageous political decisions by a Western leader EVER.) The film also brings the account of Yusra as the underdog swimmer trying to reach the 2016 Olympics, at reminding of being "Rocky" for swimming. Last but not least, the film also reminds us that these refugees are first and foremost people like you and me, going up against impossible situations and circumstances of life. The film is a little long for its own good, but it's a minor complaint. Yusra and Sara are played by real life sisters Nathalie and Manai Issa.
"The Swimmers" had a limited US theatrical run earlier this month, and it started streaming on Netflix just a few days ago. The movie is currently rated 82% Certified Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes, and for good reason. If you have any interests in understanding why it is that millions upon millions of people have fled Syria over the last decade and what they go through to try and reach safety in Europe, or if you are looking for a good underdog story set in the world of competitive swimming, I'd readily suggest you check this out, and draw your own conclusion.
- paul-allaer
- Nov 23, 2022
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Details
- Release date
- Countries of origin
- Official site
- Languages
- Also known as
- Chị Em Kình Ngư
- Filming locations
- Damascus, Syria(on location)
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
- Runtime2 hours 14 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
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