Cue the waterworks because Netflix’s The Swimmers is here to make you cry

If you thought Netflix was done releasing some killer series and films for the year, you thought wrong. We have another recommendation for you — The Swimmers by Sally El Hossaini.

The film is based on the real story of two Syrian refugee sisters, Yusra and Sarah Mardini. They fled war-torn Syria with their cousin Nizar for a new life in Europe, one that fulfils Yusra and her father Ezzat Mardini’s dream to represent Syria at the Olympics. Yusra became the first member of refugee team at summer games in 2016.

The movie starts with a scene of a swimming club in the heart of Damascus, Syria where locals of all different ages enjoy a sunny day by the pool, including the Mardini sisters, who time themselves by holding their breath under water. The scene cuts to the sisters returning home for Yusra’s birthday celebration while Sarah switches the news channel to stay updated with the state of Syrian regime.

The movie has been taking over our timelines and has a lot of people emotional.

Jemima Goldsmith took to Twitter and shared that she has “never cried” so much watching any film ever and lauded the film director.

TV show host Fakhr-e-Alam tweeted some information about refugees and said the film gave “a partial glimpse into the pain of refugees”.

Another user found the film “heart touching” and tagged the Mardini sisters to tell them how inspiring they are.

It left some people in tears of gratitude for life.

Some called it a “masterpiece”.

Others shared that it’s trending in Turkey.

For this user, the film was an “alternative perspective” on forced migration that challenged the rhetoric by mass media in the west.

This user reminded everyone that like Yusra and Sarah, there are “people living this painful reality” every day. “Syria, Ukraine, Afghanistan, the list goes on. We need change,” he wrote.

The film is currently trending on Netflix in Pakistan on number four and has received a 7.4 rating on IMDb and 79 per cent Rotten Tomatoes. It stars sisters Nathalie and Manal Issa as Yusra and Sarah Mardini, Matthias Schweighöfer as Sven, Ahmed Malek as Nizar, Syrian actor Kinda Alloush as Mervat Mardini and Palestinian actor Ali Suliman as Ezzat Mardini.

The Swimmers hit selective theatres around the world on November 23 and is currently available on Netflix.