Movies Reviews

‘The Swimmers’ dives deep into the dangers faced by refugees

(Screenshot from the official Netflix trailer.)

Albany, Oregon, U.S.A. – One of the hardest things to get right in movies based on a true story is portraying the correct representation of it.
With her new movie The Swimmers, director Sally El Hosaini accomplished that.
It follows two Syrian sisters, Yusra Mardini (Nathalie Issa) and Sara Mardini (Manal Issa) and details their family, adolescence and journey to Greece to obtain asylum.
It showed the effects of the war on both sisters.
Their friend was killed in the war and it pushed Sara to get her and her sister asylum while they still could.
Sara wanted to party while she was still alive, but Yusra wanted to work until she reached her dream.
The girls grew up swimming, following their father’s dream.
He used to be a professional swimmer but then the civil war in Syria started and he couldn’t swim competitively anymore.
So he became his daughters’ swim coach.
He considered Yusra the powerhouse and Sara a leader.
The Swimmers, recently released on Netflix, is by far one of the best movies that I have seen all year.
Yusra has been the story for years as the Syrian refugee who achieved a dream – she made it to the Olympics and then some.
This movie shows the untold story about the Mardini family, not only Yusra.
The director, who co-wrote the film with Jack Thorne, took the time to tell a fuller story, not just bits of information from interviews and articles.
El Hosaini took the time to care.
A lot of work went into this movie and it is number one on my list, deserving of every watch that it receives.
McKenzie Andersen is a Junior Reporter with Youth Journalism International.

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