English RBL – The Swimmers

Summary
Syria, 2015. Bombs striking, smashing buildings upon buildings. Smoke ubiquitous on the ground,
grabbing and suffocating hundreds of people. Children's lives lost in between the abyss of the ashes.
Yusra and Sara Mardini, sisters, embarking on an adventure to escape the dilemma, in hopes of
saving their family before it's too late.

The Swimmers is a biographical drama that takes place between Germany and Syria. During the
Syrian Civil War, lives were lost and these teenagers sought to live their lives independently in
Europe. Sara and Yusra Mardini, along with their cousin Nizar, all had planned to pursue the travels to
Germany; little did they know, they would be deceived.

She fled conflict in Syria when she was just a teenager and made the treacherous journey across the
Aegean Sea. They swam, with ropes wrapped all around their backs, pulling their already aching
muscles; yet they swam with desire and purpose.

However, all that suffering and pain brought joy to their faces. Stepping foot into Germany, Yusra and
Sara decided to take refuge in a swimming team. Yusra’s passion was to swim for her country in the
Olympics. However, with all this ongoing conflict, she was uncapable of partaking in such a
competition. Her coach had encouraged her to join the Refugee Olympic Team and, after countless
nagging and encouraging to ‘swim for your people’, she was convinced and decided to participate.

She swam for her people, swam for her country, and swam for herself; she let out all the pain and
anger through the soundless water, winning her the first place for the ROT (Refugee Olympic Team),
and becoming the beacon of success she always hoped to be.

This movie touches on sensitive topics, from war to trauma and evidently, depression. These two
girls, despite the torment and agony they went through, they were undaunted, and proved that the
suffering was of worth. It shows how one must endure the pain and obstacles they encounter, and
thrive for their goal.
Analysis
Techniques and devices:

Themes and messages:

- The movie explores empowerment and enduring the pain and not changing your perspective
of life whether you gain an unflattering title or not.

- It evokes feeling of pity as we get to see what the suffers underwent with their own eyes;
their own views. However, Yusra, the protagonist, showed how she can become triumphant
even with all suffering she encountered.

Character Analysis:

- Yusra is the primary protagonist, the movie revolving around her aspirations and dreams.
Throughout the movie we encounter the transition of her character, from being a naive and
self-centered to becoming a philanthropic who seeks only for the wellbeing of others.

- Sara is the secondary protagonist, showing how her jealousy towards her sister depleted her
and evidently made her want to embark on a new journey. However, despite all the envy
boiling inside of her, she was capable of putting everything aside and cheered for her sister,
showing personal growth.

Social, cultural or political commentary

- This movie is based on true events, recalling the war from the eyes of the refugees and
highlighting the key causes on why and how people flee a country to your designated land,
for them to feel resonated and seen by others.

- It also depicts and promotes the idea of self-independence, self-reassurance and trusting
your intuitions and that we should believe in serendipity.
Evaluation
Effectiveness and Impact

- The Swimmers conveys the message of believing in oneself and how people risk their whole
lives to live a safer existence, far away from the dilemma and conflict.

- The movie’s highlight on the lives of refugees in a cinematic point of view deeply resonates
with the viewers as it undoubtedly evokes feeling of pity and sadness as well as
empowerment.

- The influence of the movie is to depict how we must be jubilant that we live in great and
tolerable conditions, not suffering from any conflicts.

Strengths and Weaknesses

- A strength of the movie is that it shows the younger generations the suffering that people
went through to be able to become legal residents in a territorial land, making them feel
connected with the refugees and potentially become the change that we seek for.

- Despite the overall impact and the strong message of the movie, it may make some viewers
believe that they must endure their pain and suffer like these refugees in order to succeed,
essentially making them deeply immersed to the story. When, in fact, success is only gained
by your own pain and not the pain of the others.

Bias and Perspective

- From my perspective, I believe that the movie was somewhat biased; it only highlighted the
immigration of the refugees and their rights to flee to other countries as a cause of conflict.
However, they did not show or paint the picture of the impact of these refugees who sought
for help on the community; with the different cultures and religions, it unconsciously caused
havoc.

Relevance

- Ever since its release in 2022, The Swimmers has become a successful movie which has
prospered as a cause of its sensitive yet meaningful topics; its themes of self-discovery and
the suffering of the refugees truly is of importance in our modern time.
- As a society, the people have gained the knowledge of uncovering various methods in order
to preserve their lives and decrease the rate of refugees by trying to unite as a community
and put an end to the wars that naturally occur.
Overall Assessment
- Overall, the movie is filled with emotional yet highly important themes that must be
highlighted in our advanced world so we can put a stop to all the conflicts that occur. It also
allows us humans to feel widely connected to the characters with their touching yet relatable
backstories of becoming self-independent and thriving for our triumphant success by
confidently climbing the ladder that is our life.