'The Swimmers' Review: A Resounding Tale of Hardships and Hope [TIFF 2022]
An inspiring and enriching depiction of a remarkable story.
With society collectively making its way out of the aftermath of a global pandemic, there’s been a lot of conversation in the film world labelling many films as “the film we need right now.” Many films of this nature which are included in the aforementioned conversations have been described as bold, emotionally resonant on many levels, and ultimately, hopeful. Along comes The Swimmers, a film which applying those same descriptions to, would be something of an understatement.
The Swimmers depicts the real-life story of Yusra and Sara Mardini, a pair of Syrian sisters, and their struggles to leave their family in Syria as they embark on an impossible journey across Europe with a group of other Islamic refugees in search of a new home. The film marks the sophomore directorial outing for Welsh-Egyptian filmmaker Sally El-Hosaini, who delivers a fully layered feature that lands on every level it sets out to.
From the first few minutes, Hosaini makes it clear that The Swimmers won’t just be another paint-by-numbers biopic. The film opens with a title card that introduces the audience to Syria, with screaming and large booming sounds looming large, as the camera pans to reveal that those noises are in-fact people jumping into a swimming pool. The film takes the time in its early act to subvert the often-too-common depiction of Syria as a barren, dismal land, setting the tone that The Swimmers is a film with agency, and is the first of many creative choices that help add a refreshing layer of humanity and authenticity to the film as a whole.
The film’s leads, sisters Yusra and Sara Mardini, played remarkably by real-life sisters, Lebanese actresses Nathalie and Manal Issa, seek to leave their home country of Syria, after a series of tragedies occur, affecting the Mardini family, and more specifically the sisters. Both sisters have been trained in swimming by their father, Ezzat, (Ali Suliman) who once represented Syria for swimming at the Olympics, and wishes for his two eldest daughters to do the same. As the crisis in Syria gradually worsens, the Mardini sisters are able to convince their father to let them embark on a journey across Europe that would see them end up in Germany, where they plan to apply for a “Family Reunion” program, which would entitle them to live with relatives. Along for the challenging journey ahead is the sisters’ hard-partying but good-natured cousin, Nizar, played by Egyptian actor Ahmed Malek.
From there, the Mardinis are sent onto a tugboat with many other refugees, as they set course to the Greek shores, and what follows can only be described as harrowing. Through powerful performances and remarkably impressive sound design, the voyage overseas is able to evoke so much tension and dread, which undoubtedly makes the best case for why this film should be seen on the biggest screen possible.
The acting across the board is nothing short of phenomenal throughout the film’s extensive runtime which is chalk-full of truly powerful emotional moments. Every performance in the film feels raw and oozes so much character. At every turn in the film, the performances never once waver, and adapt seamlessly to the rapidly-changing and unprecedented nature of the story. Poignancy is never an easy thing to evoke, yet it’s done so much here.
While there are moments that are similar to other sports bio-dramas, resorting to easy cliches was not an option for El-Hosaini and crew, as film works to earn every feeling, every emotion, and it shows. El-Hosaini manages to balance a multitude of tones and themes, without any particular element of the film managing to feel like it negates any other, an especially difficult thing to do with a film of this specific subject matter. Every moment feels like it could not exist without the other. There are several scenes that can be only described as devastating, but never feel exploitative. Whether they come in the form of devastation, or catharsis, The Swimmers is able to portray incredibly nuanced depictions of the refugee experience, authenticated by the actual Mardini sisters, who were consulted throughout the development of the film. There are several scenes that are comedic, and provide equal amounts of levity and authenticity, further building the film into the rich, stunning and inspiring work that it is.
Despite some small pacing humps and a bit of an abrupt ending, The Swimmers is a distinctly unique celebration of triumph and success, with a rock-solid emotional core bound to evoke cries, cheers, laughs, and a feeling of hope when the credits start to roll.