The Swimmers follows the true story behind the valiant journey of Yusra Mardini and Sarah Mardini who swam for three hours across the Aegean sea to reach Germany after fleeing war-torn Syria.
Based on Butterfly: From Refugee to Olympian – My Story of Rescue, Hope, and Triumph by Yusra Mardini, Netflix’s latest biographical drama The Swimmers stars Manal Issa, Nathalie Issa, and Matthias Schweighoferl in lead roles, among others.
Written by Enola Holmes writer Jack Thorne and My Brother the Devil director Sally El Hosaini, The Swimmer follows the true story of the Mardini sisters who undertook a 25-day journey to reach Germany. On the way, they had to face many difficulties, including a 3-hour-long swim across the Aegean Sea when the small boat they were traveling in started to sink.
The Swimmers Story Summary
In 2011, Yusra Mardini (Nathalie Issa) and Sarah Mardini (Manal Issa) were living in a suburb of Damascus, Syria, and were at the beginning of their swimming career guided by their father, Ezzat Mardini (Ali Suliman), who was their swimming coach as well. They lived a simple life with their small family, consisting of their father, mother, and a little sister. However, the Arab Spring had reached Syria by this time and its effects were becoming visible.
Fast forward to 2015, the Syrian civil war has started affecting the lives of the Mardinis with even one of the close friends of Yusra and Sarah dying in an incident. The sisters persuade their father that it’s best for them if they leave Syria but he disagrees to part with his daughters, who might have to travel alone to Europe and then use the Family Reunion policy to be reunited with their family through the legal route.
Eventualy, when Yusra dodges a close call with death as an unexploded bomb falls in the swimming pool where she was training at, the Mardinis decide that it’s too dangerous for the girls to remain in Syria. This causes the father to rethink his decision, and he agrees to send Yusra and Sarah out of Syria, accompanied by the girls’ cousin, Nizar.
It’s decided that Sarah and Yusra would fly to Turkey via Lebanon and then through Bulgeria reach Germany. Upon entering Europe, the 17-year-old Yusra could apply to be reunited with her family under the Family Reunion policy. Before leaving, Ezzat directs the three to take the Bulgerian route as it’s safer than travelling on water.
On the contrary, upon reaching Turkey, Sarah, Yusra, and Nizar decide to travel to Greece through the water route as it turns out to be a cheaper option. They decide to trust a local smuggler and proceed with their journey. On the way to the shore, the three cousins meet and bond with a group of refugees who are taking the same route as them.
After waiting for quite some time in a forest next to the beach, the smuggler finally arrives with a small dinghy (boat). The group of refugees are shocked by the unsafe transport they have received after paying a hefty amount to the smuggler. While some of the refugees back out, the three cousins choose to travel on the overcrowded and unsafe dinghy, which is only propelled by a small engine. To add to Yusra’s shock, she finds out that the smuggler isn’t even accompanying them in the journey forward.
Thirty minutes into the journey, disaster strikes the group of refugees when the engine stops suddenly and the dinghy starts to sink. After failing to fix the engine, they try to reach the coast guards who simply refuse to help the group. With each passing second, the water stars filling in the boat, leaving the passengers in utter panic.
The Swimmers Ending Explained
Did Yusra Mardini and Sarah Mardini Swim For 3 Hours?
In a final attempt to save themselves, everyone decides to throw their extra luggage to lower the weight on the dinghy. Unfortunately, Yusra decides to part ways from all the medals she had won since childhood.
With even children onboard, Sarah takes the brave step to jump into the water and pull the dinghy while swimming towards the distinct shore. The better swimmer among the two, Yusra, also joins along with another refugee, Emad. Against the incoming waves of the salty sea water, the three continue to swim in one direction. With her father’s words of motivation resonating in her years, Yusra continues to struggle for the sake of everyone with her. Finally, after three hours of swimming, the dinghy hits the shore of Lesbos, a Greek island, thanks to Sarah, Yusra, and Emad.
On reaching Greece, the group of refugees are met by a cold reception as the residents even refuse to offer water to the tired “outsiders”. From there, the group sets onto their journey to Berlin. On the way to Hungary, Sarah and Yusra are even seperated when Sarah decides to take a different car. This upsets Yusra a lot as she feels abandoned by her own sister. It so happens that Sarah reaches Hungary a day later after Yusra, almost making Yusra believe that she has lost her sister.
In Hungary, Yusra goes through another harrowing experience when a smuggler tries to assault her but is saved by the timely intervention by Sarah. Tired with everything going around her, Yusra finally refuses to travel in a packed truck in order to reach Germany. Instead, Sara, Yusra, and Nizar decide to join a refugee march proceeding toward Berlin. For the night, they decide to stay in a hotel.
In the morning, Nizar comes with the good news that Germany has started accepting Syrian refugees and that a bus is waiting to take them to Berlin. With the help of the German authorities, the three Syrian cousines finally reach their destination, where friendly authorities help them settle in the refugee camp. On their first night in Berlin, the three sneak out to enjoy the whiff of freedom that they have finally achieved.
Did Yusra Mardini Participate In Rio Olympics?
Once settled into the refugee camp in Berlin, Yusra starts looking for an opportunity to start her training again. Yusra takes Sarah along with her and approaches former-swimmer Sven (Matthias Schweighofer). Fortunately for Yusra, coach Sven agrees to give the sisters a chance to give a tryout to prove their claims of being trained swimmers. Being impressed by the timings of Yusra and Sarah, Sven takes the two under his wings and even provides them lodging through his connections with the swimming club.
While Sarah and Yusra are elated by the opportunity they have received, they also face disappointment when they get to know that they may not be able to call their family to Berlin because it will take more than a year for the paperwork to be completed. By the time the paperwork will be completed, Yusra will already be more than 18 years old and will not be eligible to avail the Family Reunion policy. Yusra and Sarah realize that their parents and sister will have to travel through the same harsh route through which they reached Germany.
Sara and Yusra start their training under Sven but Sara soon loses interest in it whereas Yusra remains focused on her goals. Yusra continues to train hard to get back her form after months of being training-less. When Sven reveals to Yusra the opportunity to be a part of the Refugee Olympic Team at Rio in 2016, Yusra’s Olympic dream seems like a possibility. Though initially, Yusra hesitates because of her perception towards taking part as a refugee in the Olympics as she thinks it elicits sympathy from people, but upon being convinced by Sara, Yusra agrees to try out for the Refugee Olympic Team
After months of preparation, Yusra’s timings meet the eligibility criteria and she is chosen to represent the Refugee Olympic Team in the 2016 Summer Olympics. With an anxious Sven and Sarah supporting her from the audience, Yusra also goes on to make her mark at the Olympic stage by winning her first race, proving that her dreams are stronger than the adversities she had faced. Yusra’s win marks a remarkable moment for many refugees who rise against the unfair conditions of their lives to bring attention to the crisis of existence faced by millions of refugees around the world.
Where Are Yusra Mardini And Sarah Mardini Now?
In the end, it’s revealed that the rest of the Mardini family crossed the sea to Europe later that year and lives in Berlin now. While Sara returned to Lesbos to help refugees like her who didn’t get adequate help on their way out, Yusra participated in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and chose to swim for the Refugee Olympic Team again even after having the opportunity to try out for the Syrian team. Yusra has finally welcomed her refugee identity with open arms.
Yusra continues to make a difference for refugees world over as the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees’ Goodwill Ambasaddor. In the meanwhile, Sarah Mardini was arrested in 2018 by the Greek authorities on charges of smuggling people illegally. Amnesty International came in support for her, calling out Greece for its anti-humanitarian action of arresting Sarah, who worked for the benefit of helpless refugees in Lesbos, the same place where she and Yusra hit the shore after their long swim. Since then, she has recieved a bail, but the case against her still persists.
The Swimmers is now streaming on Netflix.
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