Shoot me down but I wouldn’t fall. Feeling the music of titanium and dancing on a rooftop like no one is watching whilst they know that in the background their country is being bombed. Yusra and Sara Mardini, in that moment in time wanting to live a normal life.
Heart-breaking, profoundly moving, and beautiful is how Sally El Hosaini tells this true story that maybe most people would never have heard of. A year after the Syrian civil war came out Yursa (Nathalie Issa) and Sara (Manal Issa) swim three hours in the Mediterranean Sea to go to Greece as refugees before going to compete at the Olympics in swimming.
The main actors are Lebanese/Syrian which adds authenticity and shows the acting talent is alive and well in that region. The producers could of got established actors but chose instead two relatively unknown actresses.
With news stories about the middle east focusing on how corrupt and how destructive it is,
The real life Yursa Mardini in discussion with Nathalie Issa who plays her is refreshing when she says in a recent interview, ‘It’s both Syria and Lebanon, the culture is amazing, the nature, everything about our countries are amazing. I love how the movie portrays that.’
This film had some clever creative shots, when seeing the gloominess shifted our characters through a couple of individual flashbacks sequences (playing out like a mild PTSD episodes) really helped the audience see on how far these girls have come since the beginning of the film.
Some people could say that this film could be too long, but the film is a right length for the story and time flies watching the drama unfold.
The swimmers make you want to delve deeper to into their backgrounds.
The swimmers is not only about swimming, there is a deeper root that explores their triumph over adversity and it’s a story that armchair sports fans would never have heard of.
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Great review of a fantastic film!