Everything You Need to Know About ‘The Swimmers’ - Netflix Tudum

  • Deep Dive

    Everything You Need to Know About ‘The Swimmers’

    This biographical drama tells the inspiring true story of two sisters escaping war and pursuing their dreams.

    By Ryan Villarreal
    Nov. 23, 2022

In the heat of a swimming competition, with families cheering on teenage athletes in a complex adorned with Syrian flags, the roof of the building explodes as bombs fall from the sky. One lands in the pool, sinking slowly and threatening to detonate as a panicked swimmer tries to get out of the water. That swimmer is Yusra Mardini, and The Swimmers tells the true story of her and her sister’s journey to escape the war engulfing their country to pursue Yusra’s dream of making it to the Olympics.

Directed by Sally El Hosaini (My Brother the Devil), The Swimmers is a biographical drama that both illuminates the refugee experience and shows a young athlete’s determination to succeed against all odds.

Release date

The Swimmers will be available on Netflix Nov. 23.

Trailer

Watch the official Netflix trailer for The Swimmers.

Cast

The cast of The Swimmers features Nathalie Issa (My Favorite Fabric), Manal Issa (The Sea AheadUlysses & Mona), Matthias Schweighöfer (Army of ThievesArmy of the Dead), Ali Suliman (Jack RyanParadise Now), Ahmed Malek (The FurnaceClash), James Krishna Floyd (My Brother the DevilThe Good Karma Hospital) and Nahel Tzegai (SlicedThe Miracle Workers). Read this cast guide for more info.

Plot

 🤐 SPOILER ALERT 🤐

Teenager Yusra Mardini (Nathalie Issa) and her older sister, Sara (Manal Issa), are both competitive swimmers living in Syria in 2015, when the country is steeped in conflict. During a swim competition, the Mardini family is caught in a bombing. They survive, but the traumatic event inspires Yusra and Sara to travel to Germany to apply for asylum. To get there, they must cross through several other countries undocumented. Unwilling to risk the dangerous journey, their parents and younger sister remain, hoping they’ll be reunited after Yusra and Sara arrive in Berlin and plead their case.

Yusra and Sara and their cousin Nizar (Malek) first travel to Turkey, where they cross the sea to Greece in a dangerously small boat with other refugees. Despite nearly sinking, they eventually land on a Greek island, making their way to the European mainland and across several more borders before catching a bus to Berlin, where they find temporary housing at a local refugee camp.

Yusra convinces a local swim coach, Sven (Schweighöfer), to train her and Sara. Meanwhile, Yusra and Sara are informed that they will not be able to apply for asylum for the rest of their family. Yusra remains determined to focus on her training, while Sara becomes more interested in her new social life. Sven approaches Yusra with an opportunity to join an Olympic team for refugees. Yusra, hoping to represent Syria, is hesitant at first but eventually agrees with encouragement from Sara. Yusra qualifies for the team and makes it to the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. While she faces stigma for being a refugee, she ultimately proves her merit as an athlete.

Setting

The Swimmers takes place in Syria, Turkey, Greece, Serbia, Hungary, Germany and Brazil.

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