The Swimmers

2022 2h 14m EN

👍

7.4

SOLID

★7.4TMDB · 665

DramaHistory

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

From war-torn Syria to the 2016 Rio Olympics, two young sisters embark on a risky voyage, putting their hearts and their swimming skills to heroic use.

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

WhatsApp X Facebook Telegram

Where to watch · US

NetflixSubscription

Netflix Standard with AdsSubscription

Cast

Nathalie Issa
Yusra Mardini
Manal Issa
Sarah Mardini
Matthias Schweighöfer
Sven
Ahmed Malek
Nizar
James Floyd
Emad
Nahel Tzegai
Shada
Akuc Bol
Onnab
Elmi Rashid Elmi
Bilal

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Sally El Hosaini
Writers: Jack Thorne
Languages: Arabic, English
Countries: United Kingdom

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 7

ERA

Did you know

Released 4 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 7

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 2 languages: Arabic, English.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Sally El Hosaini, shot by Christopher Ross. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Steven Price. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Iain Kitching shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 7

CAST

Did you know

Nathalie Issa and Manal Issa and Matthias Schweighöfer carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 7

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt8745676 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Sally El Hosaini directs. Christopher Ross behind the camera. Steven Price scores. Iain Kitching cuts. Produced in United Kingdom. Dialogue in Arabic, English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Released 4 years ago.
2Dialogue crosses 2 languages: Arabic, English.
3Directed by Sally El Hosaini, shot by Christopher Ross. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Original score by Steven Price. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
5Editor Iain Kitching shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Nathalie Issa and Manal Issa and Matthias Schweighöfer carry the top of the cast.
7IMDB entry: tt8745676 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
8Classified under 15 themes, including "refugee", "olympian sports team", "biography", "based on true story".

The technical file

Cinematography: Christopher Ross
Original score: Steven Price
Editing: Iain Kitching
Production design: Patrick Rolfe
Costume design: Molly Emma Rowe
Makeup / hair: Antoinette Aderotoye
Runtime: 134 min · 2h 14m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Original language: EN
Certification (US): PG-13
IMDB: The Swimmers (2022)

Also by

Sally El Hosaini

Stills · wallpapers

Selected frames

Full-resolution frames — open one to save it as a wallpaper.

Wallpaper

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

Community reviews

What people are saying

CinemaSerf2023-02-10
★ 7/10
Two young sisters - Sara (Manal Issa) and Yusra (Nathalie Issa) are obsessed with representing their Syrian nation at the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro in 2016. Their father is their coach and their mentor, and he drives them hard - but that might all prove to be for nought when a bomb comes crashing through the roof of their swimming pool and only narrowly avoids killing someone! Scared but determined, the family decide to enlist the help of their charismatic cousin Nizar (Ahmed Malek) and armed with some borrowed cash try to get from their home to Germany where they hope to find safety and continue their training. Thing is, they have no papers so after a brief flight to Istanbul, find themselves in the hands of the people smugglers who care little for their safety. Much of this interesting film is quite tough to watch, as it depicts the efforts of the three to beat the elements and the authorities to reach their goal - at times at quite considerable risk to themselves. It's all based on a true story so there is no actual jeopardy to their journey, but it is illustrative of just how perilous the whole process is; of how venal and exploitative some people can be of those in life-threatening predicaments and also of just how persevering the human spirit can be when faced with seemingly insurmountable odds. It features a fine supporting effort from "Sven" (Matthias Schweighöfer) and offers us quite a well produced and paced observation on just how these two girls got through their ordeal. The photography is frequently intimate and that sometimes exposes us to the character traits of the girls that are less attractive to the viewer - but somehow that added to the authenticity of this compelling dramatisation that defiantly opens the eyes!

Production companies