The plot follows the life story of teenage Syrian refugees Yusra Mardini and her sister Sarah Mardini, who swam alongside a sinking dinghy of refugees to lighten it, and eventually help 18 refugees reach safety across the Aegean Sea while being smuggled from İzmir towards Lesbos. Subsequent struggles as refugees are vividly depicted, but Yusra Mardini's swimming career sees her reach the Rio 2016 Olympics as a member of the Refugee Olympic Team.
The final credits inform that Yusra's sister Sarah, who had returned to Lesbos as part of voluntary efforts to assist incoming refugees in 2016, had been arrested and faced charges that carried potentially long-term prison sentences, if convicted.[4][5]
In April 2021, it was announced that Manal Issa and Nathalie Issa had been cast to play real-life sisters Yusra and Sara Mardini in The Swimmers for Working Title Films and Netflix.[6]
Manal Issa learned to swim for the film. She later criticized the film for orientalism, apoliticism, and failing to cast Syrian actors. She further reported trauma experienced by the cast from filming in the Aegean Sea near refugees trying to cross, as well as low wages for Turkish and Syrian extras.[10]
In the context of the contemporary refugee crisis, Sally El Hosaini did not just want to present the story of the Mardini sisters and the other refugees. Rather, her intention was to show in a realistic style, what refugees are going through in real life. In an interview about the film, Yusra Mardini said, "After the Olympics, I realised that it's not just my story anymore. I realised that my responsibility is to raise awareness and bring hope to millions of refugees around the world and speak for all of those who do not have a voice."[11]
On review aggregatorRotten Tomatoes, the film has a score of 82% based on 62 reviews. The website's critics consensus reads, "The Swimmers can be heavy-handed and it's arguably too long, but it handles a worthy topic with generally uplifting results."[12] On Metacritic, the film holds a score of 62 out of 100, based on 15 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[13]
