The Swimmers
The Swimmers tells the story of Sara and Yusra Mardini, sisters and teenage swimmers in Damascus who dream of going pro and representing their country, Syria, in the Olympics. When the Syrian war begins, they attempt to continue their lives as before: training with their father at the pool, going to parties with their cousins, and helping around the house. However, as the bombings intensify and the war increasingly affects their lives, some of their friends leave for the dangerous journey to Europe. Sara tries to convince her father, Ezzat, to let her and Yusra attempt the trek to Germany. He initially refuses but finally relents when Sara and Yusra’s cousin, Nizar, agrees to accompany them.
The film chronicles the real story of the Mardini sisters, as they go from the Syrian national swimming team through the terrifying experience of being refugees fleeing Syria, to Yusra’s second chance at her Olympic aspirations and Sara’s decision to move on from competitive swimming.
The actresses that play Sara and Yusra are Manal and Nathalie Issa, sisters in real life, whose families fled Lebanon during the civil war and resettled in France. The Swimmers was directed by Sally El Hosaini and is available on Netflix. Dialogue for the movie is a mix of Arabic and English.
Though not included in The Swimmers plot, the real Sara Mardini is facing criminal charges in Greece for rescuing migrants in the Aegean Sea. Read more about her and her co-defendants story here.
Scroll down for relevant vocabulary and reflection questions in English and Arabic, or download it as a worksheet using the buttons below.
Vocabulary / مفردات
السباحة
Swimming
السبّاح/ة ج السبّاحين
The swimmer/s
مسبح
Swimming pool
أخت ج أخوات البنات
Sister/s
For the plural, you can also just say أخوات, which is a gender neutral way to say siblings
البحر
The sea
تمرين
Training or exercise
تتمرن / تمرنت
She exercises or trains / she exercised or trained
لم شمل
Reunion
This is also the term for the family reunion visa
لاجئ/ة ج لاجئين
Refugee/s
الحدود
The border/s
مهرّب ج مهرّبين
Smuggler
قارب ج قوارب
Boat/s
منافسة ج منافسات
Competition
اولمبيات
Olympics
Reflection Questions:
Who is Nizar and what does he do for work?
Why is it important that Yusra is under 18 when she arrives in Europe?
How did the Mardinis travel to Europe?
What did Sara decide to do for work in Europe?
What is your opinion of the movie? What did you like? What did you dislike? And why?
أسئلة التفكير
١. مين نزار وشو بيشتغل؟
٢. ليش مهم أنه يسرى تكون أقل من 18 سنة لما بتوصل لأوروبا؟
٣. كيف سافرت عائلة مارديني لأوروبا؟
٤. شو قررت بتشتغل سارا بأوروبا؟
٥. شو رأيك بالفلم؟ شو حبيت؟ شو ما حبيت؟ وليش؟
