It was released on his platform Netflix It was released just a few days ago and is already high on subscribers' list of favorites. And that's because of the true story that inspired the screenwriters to create the film.
The Mardini sisters, Yusra and Sara (played in the film by Natalie and Manal Issa), became known for their harrowing story of survival and heroism after escaping the Syrian civil war a year earlier.
The film, which «sheds light» on the appalling conditions faced by thousands of refugees around the world, is not just another sports story brought to the screen—it is much more than that.
They battled the icy waves of the Aegean Sea
During their journey, the sisters flew to Turkey, hoping to travel to Germany by boat via Greece. They were battling the icy waves of the Aegean Sea when suddenly the engine of the overloaded boat—which was carrying 18 other passengers, all asylum seekers—stalled. The Martini sisters jumped into the water without hesitation, grabbed the ropes along with two other passengers, and used their swimming skills to save everyone. That day, the 45-minute boat ride turned into a three-and-a-half-hour swim.
When they finally arrived in Germany, Yusra was determined to keep pursuing her dream. With the help of swimming coach Sven Spankrebbs, she managed to represent the IOC’s Olympic Refugee Team at the 2016 and 2020 Olympic Games.
Meanwhile, Sarah decided to shift her focus and, leaving her swimming ambitions behind, began volunteering in Greece to help refugees—like herself—cross the sea safely until they reached their destination.
The Making of «The Swimmers»
Overall, the film’s screenplay closely follows the true story, with the Mardini sisters having been involved in the production, even though Yusra was initially not interested in the idea of making a movie.
In the early stages of the film project’s development, screenwriter Jack Thorne met with Yusra and her coach, Sven, so they could tell him their story. He quickly realized, however, that the film needed to focus more on the relationship between the two Mardini brothers, so he asked them to introduce him to Sarah as well.
«We sat in the room, and they started telling me about what they’d been through. But it seemed to me that my perspective was wrong, since this is the story of Yusra and Sven,» Thorne told the Radio Times website. «I didn’t know much about Syria, or what it’s like to be a refugee, but I know what it means to be a brother.» He added: «So I said, “Who is Sarah, and when can I meet her?” I wanted to challenge the idea of what a refugee looks like and what they have to say.».
The film begins with a brief description of Yusra and Sara’s lives before the civil war broke out. It then jumps forward four years to show how destruction has become part of their daily lives. This includes the fact that they narrowly escaped a bomb. This event led them to embark on a dangerous journey to find relative safety in Europe—a journey during which they would face all kinds of difficult conditions.
Producer Tilly Goulson explained that «the crew made a few trips to meet with the two sisters» to ensure that these parts of the film would look authentic, explaining that «the research was truly thorough, so it was a great help to Jack when he began the initial planning of the film.».
The Heroism of the Mardini Brothers
When Sally El-Hosaini—who had previously met the Mardini sisters only by chance—took on the role of director, she was immediately excited by the idea of exploring «the kinds of young women who live in the Middle East but whose stories never make it to our screens.» The film, which also contains elements of fiction, is about a heroine who becomes an Olympic champion, «but also an unsung heroine, a sister in the shadows, who doesn’t achieve the same success but continues to do something equally heroic.».
The director said, «What I really like is that we get to see the difficult aspects of their relationship: the jealousy, the tension between them, and the intense emotions they feel.».
To lend the film even greater authenticity, El-Hosaini reached out via a private message on Twitter to BAFTA-winning Syrian director Hassan Akad. «The result had to be original, genuine, and authentic, and Sally gave me the freedom to incorporate words that Syrian women use in their conversations,» Hassan explained.
According to Radio Times, Netflix
