The Swimmers
FILM NETFLIX
In 2015, sisters Yusra and Sara Mardini left war-torn Syria to seek refuge in Germany, but ran into trouble crossing the Aegean Sea when the battered dinghy transporting them and 18 other passengers started sinking. The Mardini sisters leapt into the ocean and swam alongside to steady the boat until it reached the shore, saving the lives of all on board. This moving, hugely timely drama, co-written by Jack Thorne and starring real-life sisters Nathalie and Manal Issa, explores their harrowing journey and the bureaucratic purgatory of the asylum system, but ends on a triumphant note as Yusra achieves her dream of swimming in the 2016 Rio Olympics. ★★★★★ SP