The Swimmers (2022) Trivia Quiz

Answer: Darayya

In "The Swimmers", the city of Darayya is described as being a close suburb of Damascus, the capital of Syria and an area rich with culture and history. The Mardini family had a very close attachment to Darayya which made the idea of leaving the city and the country of Syria in general a very difficult decision.

The Mardini sisters are shown at various places in Darayya including the market, swimming pool and a nightclub.

Answer: Bird

In the first part of the film Lulu is seen being watched after by Sara, Yusra and their unnamed little sister. Lulu is a small yellow bird that is described as being very sweet but also prone to having bathroom accidents. In one scene Lulu flies around a room the three girls are playing in, seemingly as a metaphor to Sara and Yusra fleeing Syria.

When Yusra's little sister tells her she doesn't want her to leave, Yusra tells her that it is now her responsibility to watch over Lulu.

Answer: A swimming pool where Yusra was competing was bombed.

The film opens in 2011 and it shows some of the early stages of the Syrian Civil War juxtaposed against Sara and Yusra growing up as teenagers and having fun. By 2015 many young people that Sara and Yusra had known had been killed or fled the country.

Their father, Ezzat, desired for them to stay in Syria as he felt fleeing for Europe was unpredictably dangerous. However, when a bombing occurs at the swimming pool where Yusra was competing, he changes his mind. Fortunately for Yusra, a bomb that entered the pool just feet away from her failed to explode.

Answer: The dinghy is being filled with water.

When Sara, Yusra and their cousin arrive in Istanbul, they have to ask around to find people who can help them get to Greece. For 2000 euro a person they are offered a chance to take a boat to Lesbos in Greece. Of course they do not know that this boat would be an inflatable dinghy designed for eight people that would be filled with 20 people.

While crossing the Aegean Sea the dinghy's motor stalls and water begins to rush into the boat. Knowing that the dinghy will sink unless weight is removed from it, Sara jumps into the water and ties a rope to herself to tow the dinghy. Sara's sister Yusra also jumps into the water and helps tow the dinghy with a rope. Luckily, the dinghy's motor starts working again but the girls still swim rather than get back on the dinghy to not overweigh it and possibly cause it to sink.

Answer: Life jacket

After the arduous journey across the Aegean Sea from Istanbul to Lesbos in which they swam most of the way, Sara and Yusra regrouped with the other refugees who crossed with them. Releasing their anger, several crew members deflate the dinghy with a knife and dispose of it into the ocean.

They then walk away from the shore and toss their life jackets into a pile of thousands of life jackets left behind by previous refugees entering Lesbos. Certainly their life jackets helped keep Sara and Yusra afloat while swimming across the Aegean Sea but once they were ashore they were no longer needed as their remaining journey would be on foot or automobile.

Answer: Nizar

Before fleeing Syria, Sara and Yusra socially hung out with their cousin Nizar who loves music. However, their father does not trust Nizar's judgment and initially does not want them to travel with him. Even so, their desperation prompts him to agree to have Nizar go with them. He gives them 10,000 euro to use on their journey as he knows they'll likely have to pay smugglers.

Answer: Berlin

After they make it to Budapest, Nizar tells Sara and Yusra that humanitarian buses will be picking up refugees to transport them to Germany. They have friends and fellow refugees in Hanover, Germany and they assume that they will be able to go from Berlin to Hanover. However, in Berlin they are informed that they must stay there while they go through processing or risk deportation.

Answer: Sven

Similar to their father, Sven was a former swimmer who unfortunately never became an Olympian. Sven leads a swim school in Berlin and agrees to allow Sara and Yusra to be members after Yusra tells him her times and he sees them practice. Sven was played by Matthias Schweighöfer who was born in Anklam, East Germany in 1981.

Answer: 100 m butterfly

"The Swimmers" depicts Yusra practicing for her 100 m butterfly competition by swimming in a pool with a current that is going against her, stretching and lifting weights. She also watched videos of Michael Phelps who was an athlete from the United States who won gold medals in the 100 m butterfly at the 2004, 2008 and 2012 Olympics and a silver medal in the event at the 2016 Olympics. In spite of winning her heat, Yusra did not qualify for the semifinals as only the 16 fastest swimmers move on to the next round and her time was 40th.

Although it is not shown in the film, Yusra also competed in the 100 m freestyle at the 2016 Olympics.

Answer: Refugee Olympic Team (ROT)

While practicing in preparation for the 2016 Olympics, Sven informs Yusra that the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has decided to choose up to 10 refugees to compete in the games without qualifying through the typical process under the name Refugee Olympic Team (ROT).

At first Yusra looks at this as an act of charity and she does not want to compete with the ROT but instead wants to qualify to represent Syria. However, she eventually accedes to competing under ROT so that she can realize her Olympic dreams and tell her triumphant story to the world.