The Swimmers

"I wish El Hosaini trusted (the Issa sisters) more because she weighs down The Swimmers with so much on-the-nose dialogue and sweeping emotional cues that the movie doesn’t really need."

"There’s an extraordinary story to be told here. It’s just a shame it had to be told in such an ordinary way."

"A half hour could be comfortably cut from the film, removing repetitive scenes and streamlining the story."

"No plethora of Sia ballads can make us root for an uncompelling story."

"Strong, well-rounded, defiant characters from the outset, Yusra and Sara challenge our expectations of what refugees should be..."

"At a bloated 134 minutes... your brain may well start to prune, the way fingers do when they spend too much time in water."

"El Hosaini demonstrates a strong command over imagery that is as poetic as it is potent."