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The Swimmers

✭ ✭ ✭   Read critic reviews

United Kingdom, United States · 2022
2h 14m
Director Sally El Hosaini
Starring Manal Issa, Nathalie Issa, Matthias Schweighöfer, Ali Suliman
Genre Drama, History

Yusra and Sarah Mardini are two middle-class sisters enjoying a normal life in Damascus when the Syrian Civil War upends their life, forcing them to flee. They set out for Germany seeking asylum for their family. On their life-and-death journey, the sisters' heroism shines through.

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What are critics saying?

50

The Playlist by Marya E. Gates

Destined to make audiences weep, The Swimmers is no doubt a crowd-pleaser with an important message about the growing refugee crisis worldwide, and Yusra’s story is one worth telling. It’s a pity the filmmakers couldn’t take the time to see her life as more than just a vessel for this message.

80

Screen Daily by Nikki Baughan

Its impact comes not only from the real-life events it’s depicting, but also the way in which it frames this now-familiar tale; a triumph of human – and particularly female – will against adversity and a celebration of those who would seek a better life, despite the costs.

50

Variety by Peter Debruge

At a bloated 134 minutes . . . your brain may well start to prune, the way fingers do when they spend too much time in water.

75

Slashfilm by Sarah Milner

Alternating between exuberant and exhilarating, heart-warming and horrific, "The Swimmers" is an ambitious picture that tells an almost unbelievable tale of struggle, perseverance, and triumph.

60

TheWrap by Steve Pond

The juxtaposition of jubilance and misery is the film’s modus operandi, however jarring it may seem.

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