Netflix’s ‘The Swimmers’ is a film based on the true story of Yusra and Sara Mardini’s journey as refugees from Syria.
Warning: This article contains heavy spoilers
Plot summary
The new Netflix release is a story surrounding Sara and Yusra Mardini. The storyline also involves their younger sister Shehad, their mother Mervat, a physiotherapist, and their father and swim coach, Ezzat. Syria’s situation was so harsh that it forced the Mardini sisters to flee. However, they do not flee alone – their cousin Nizar joins them.
Following this, there is a rocky journey depicted in how the Mardini sisters ended up in Germany. The highlight of the storyline revolves around how Sara and Yusra saved 18 people from sinking into the sea. After a great struggle over many days, the trio, Sara, Yusra and Nizar reach Berlin.
Their beginning in the new city starts with living in a refugee camp. The girls eventually reached out to a nearby swim club, where Yusra will begin her training. Her determination shifts to participating in Refugee Olympics rather than waiting a few years to swim in the actual Olympics.
Yusra, under her coach Sven, was then able to train on the new refugee team for the 2016 Olympics in Rio, where she won one of her heats. Sara, on the other hand, devotes herself to refugee activism. Both sisters find the goals that they want to achieve and strive for them.
‘The Swimmers’ ending explained in detail:
What happened to the Mardini sisters?
By The Swimmers’ end, a bitter-sweet ending is seen for the Mardini sisters. Yusra is seen to excel as a swimmer and make a good name for herself. At the end of the movie, it is revealed that she is appointed as the UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador.
Sara Mardini did not continue swimming. Instead, she chose to be a part of refugee activism. She was arrested in 2018 while doing refugee activism in Lesbos and charged with several counts.
Does the Mardini family reunite?
Yes, the Mardini family does reunite. During the outro of the film, it is informed that later in the year of 2016, the Mardini family reunites. After the departure of the Mardini sisters from Syria, it’s hardly known what the family members were facing in Syria amidst the bombings.
Prior to their arrival in Germany, there is vague clarity about how they managed to escape Syria, to begin with. It is understood that they all stayed in Berlin itself. The fate of the family does not remain unknown to the audience as many other subplots are.
Do the other refugees have a happy ending?
As ‘The Swimmers’ proceeds, the focus is very much shifted off the other refugees. Their storylines become entirely baseless to the main plot line. While that could be a flaw in the plot, one cannot help but be curious as to what may have happened to the others.
During the course of the movie, except for Emad, it is seen that most of the refugees were caught and sent back to where they came from. Nizar, the cousin of the Mardini, goes on to live a more secure life than those who tried to flee for betterment.
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