If you are a fan of award-worthy content that tells a monumental story with a gripping plot, then you have probably heard of The Swimmers on Netflix. Following the onslaught of great releases, the streaming giant has made the Sally El Hosaini biographical film available to stream. The flick first garnered possible reviews at the 2022 Toronto International Film Festival before it was released in selected theaters.

Given that it is a biographical film, the flick tells the true story of Olympian refugee Yusra Mardini. Apart from the fact that a biography about an Olympian is bound to be inspiring and intriguing, the movie is based on a true story that will make you see it in a new light.

What is the true story behind The Swimmers on Netflix?

The biographical film, starring Nathalie Issa and Manal Issa, is based on the real-life story of two sisters who escaped from the Syrian civil war calamity. Syria’s condition after a civil war broke out in 2011 has gone from bad to worst. Thousands have lost lives and homes as a consequence. But there have been a lucky few who have managed to escape the calamity. And Yusra and Sara Mardini’s story is one of resilience, courage, and truth. The sisters used to live in Damascus and enjoyed swimming ever since they were young.

When the situation in Syria became worse, Sara, along with her sister and her cousin, goes to Germany and applies for family reunification so that the rest of the family can join. However, this trip is obviously not as easy as boarding your plane and wearing your seat belts.

A trip that would that four hours on plane took the two sisters 25 days. They boarded a plane to Turkey from Syria and planned to take a boat like several other refugees in order to reach Greece. However, in the middle of the Aegean Sea, the motor stopped working, and the sisters had to swim along with the other passengers for three hours.

The bigger picture, considering that one of them became an Olympian, looks good now, but at that time, the sisters only swam to survive. However, things for the two sisters were not smooth even after crossing the ocean. They had to face discrimination for being refugees. But despite the hardships, Yusra became the first ever to join a refugee team at the 2016 Rio Olympics. And Sara now works to help other refugees. Through the movie, the sisters wanted to bring a change for the refugees who are still suffering.

Did you know that the actresses who played the sisters were also sisters? Let us know in the comments below.