It’s one thing to read about Syrian Civil War refugees, and quite another to witness their narrative unfold in The Swimmers on Netflix, a new biopic about Olympic swimmers Yusra Mardini and Sara Mardini.
2015’s The Swimmers was directed by Sally El Hosaini, who also co-wrote the script with Jack Thorne. It depicts the Mardini sisters’ perilous escape from their war-torn native country, Syria. The sisters were not only migrants, but also heroes who swam a sinking boat across the ocean to rescue the lives of 18 other refugees. Amazingly, Yusra Mardini went on to compete in the 2016 Olympics.
Butterfly: From Refugee to Olympian – My Story of Rescue, Hope, and Victory, written by Mardini in 2018, was the source of inspiration for the script. In order to fit the tale inside the film’s two-hour-and-fourteen-minute running length, several elements were removed and altered. But have no fear, as Decider has you covered. Read on for a summary of The Swimmers’ true narrative, including a comparison of the film to the actual events of Yusra and Sara Mardini.
Is the Netflix film The Swimmers based on a true story?
Yes. The Swimmers is based on the actual tale of Olympian Yusra Mardini and her sister Sara Mardini, who fled Syria in 2015 during the Syrian Civil War. In order to traverse the Aegean Sea, the Mardini sisters and 18 other migrants were jammed aboard a tiny watercraft designed for seven individuals. When the boat’s engine failed and it began to sink, the Mardini sisters and two others went into the water and towed the vessel the rest of the way across the ocean.
What is the real story behind Yusra and Sara Mardini?
Yusra and her older sister Sara Mardini were adolescents growing up in Syria at the outbreak of the Syrian Civil War in 2011. Since childhood, their father, a former swimmer himself, had trained both sisters in competitive swimming in their homeland. The sisters ceased training once the war progressed and the family was forced to relocate to flee the violence.
Both sisters desired to leave Syria and pursue a regular life after the conflict. Yusra particularly desired to swim again. However, their parents did not want the family to be divided up, and it was difficult for all five family members to travel to Europe together, including the youngest Mardini sister, Shahed. In a 2017 Vogue Magazine profile, Mardini stated, “I began asking, ‘You know what, Mom? I am exiting Syria. If I die, I’m going to die in my wetsuit.’” The mother finally gave permission for Yusra and Sara to depart, escorted by two male relatives.
The sisters travelled to Turkey, where they met a smuggler assisting a group of migrants from several nations to cross the Aegean Sea and reach the Greek island of Lesbos. After four days of waiting in a Turkish woodland near the shore, the smuggler finally returned with a tiny motorized dinghy. The sisters and 18 other migrants crammed into the space. According to a 2016 AP investigation, the migrants were apprehended and returned by the Turkish coastguard on their initial voyage. On their second effort, they barely made it over.
After around 30 minutes, the boat’s motor failed and it began to sink. Yusra and Sara leapt into the icy water and, with brief assistance from two other passengers, pulled the boat the rest of the way. Yusra detailed the terrifying encounter to Vogue by adding, “We used our legs and one arm apiece; we clutched the rope with the other arm and kicked relentlessly. Waves continued to smash me in the face. That was the most difficult aspect: the stinging salt water. However, what were we to do? Should everyone perish? We had to pull and swim for their life.”
It took the sisters three and a half hours to drag the boat ashore at Lesbos. However, even after their arrival, they were not yet out of the woods. Mardini told Vogue, “On the opposite beach, there was simply nothing.” I was shoeless since I had to remove my sandals in the water. On the way, a stranger offered me a pair of sneakers. However, folks seemed skeptical; I would not describe them as friendly.” Across Macedonia, Serbia, and Hungary, they had to walk and hitch rides.
The sisters finally arrived in Berlin, where they were housed in a refugee camp for six months. There, they learned about a Berlin swimming club, tried out, and were taught by Mardini’s mentor, Sven Spannekrebs, who would guide her to the 2016 Olympics in Rio as part of an entirely new refugee Olympic squad. Spannekrebs assisted the sisters in obtaining the necessary documents to reside in Germany, a procedure that often take refugees years. Spannekrebs told Vogue, “I never imagined we would travel to Rio.” I only desired to make their lives simpler.
While Sara finally opted to give up competitive swimming and moved on to work for an NGO in Greece assisting refugees, Mardini was able to become one of ten displaced athletes who competed for the refugee squad when it was originally founded in 2016.
How realistic is The Swimmers on Netflix?
The Swimmers, like other films based on actual stories, altered or omitted some parts of the Mardinis’ narrative to create a more efficient and interesting film. While the girls were joined by two male family members in real life, they were blended into one fictional character, a relative named Nizar (portrayed by Ahmed Malek), in the film. Due to time constraints, the initial effort to cross the sea, which was foiled by the Turkish coast guard, was also omitted. Other characters, including a refugee mother and her infant kid, as well as Sara’s romantic interest, were created for dramatic effect.
Despite not filming a documentary, the filmmakers made a concerted effort to incorporate the real sisters in the production and capture the essence of the reality. During the production of the film, the director and co-writer Sally El Hosaini, the screenwriter Jack Thorne, and the executive producer Tilly Coulson visited with the actual Mardini sisters on many occasions. In addition, the filmmakers collaborated closely with a researcher who contributed to Mardini’s 2018 autobiography, Butterfly: From Refugee to Olympian — My Story of Rescue, Hope, and Victory.
Sara Mardini stated in an interview with The Swimmers press notes that she and her sister approve of this recounting of their experience, stating, “It’s an honor to be selected from a million individuals to have our story told, but we’re not special. I believe that this film will demonstrate that we are not more exceptional than any other refugees.
Fascinating fact: the Lebanese actresses Manal Issa (who portrays Sara) and Nathalie Issa (who plays Yusra) who play the Mardini sisters on-screen are sisters in real life. The Issa sisters felt an instant connection with the real-world Mardini sisters upon meeting them. Nathalie Issa stated in an interview for the press notes, “I wasn’t attempting to imitate Yusra’s actions; rather, I incorporated myself and my experiences into the role of Yusra to create a new character, a combination of us. I portrayed a woman who enjoys swimming, whose life is wrecked one day, and who attempts to cope with the loss.
Manal said that Sara Mardini in real life is “quite different” from the wild party girl she portrays in the film. The actual Yusra Mardini appears briefly in the film as the stunt double for Issa during the filming of swimming scenes that needed her Olympic-level skill. “It was quite strange to double the actress who portrays me,” Mardini noted in an interview for the press notes. “However, I am nevertheless happy that I am in the film, even if just for five seconds. I’ll tell everyone!”
Did Yusra Mardini place at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio?
No. As depicted in the film, Yusra did win a race in the Rio Olympics—her 100-meter butterfly preliminary heat, which she won in 1 minute and 9.21 seconds. However, she was not quick enough in that race to proceed to the semifinals. Her overall position was forty, and only the top sixteen advanced. Still, it was a remarkable accomplishment for a swimmer who not only hailed from an underdeveloped nation but also lost nearly two years of training while fleeing a conflict.
Mardini participated for the refugee team in the women’s 100m butterfly heats at the Tokyo Olympics in 2020, where she posted a time of 1:06.78 but once again did not progress. According to Olympics.com, Mardini is now a German citizen and is therefore ineligible for the refugee squad in 2024. However, he has not ruled out swimming for Germany in the 2024 Olympics in Paris.