Swim To Me Review: A Poignant Movie That Leaves You Distraught

Swim To Me Review: Swim To Me is a haunting and emotionally layered family drama inspired by Alia Trabucco Zerán’s best-selling novel. The film follows Estela, a young woman from rural Chile who leaves her family behind to work as a domestic helper for an affluent household in Santiago.

There, she forms an intense and intimate bond with the six-year-old girl she cares for. As their secret world forms, it slowly spirals toward an inevitable and unsettling end. Read ahead to find out more.

Swim To Me Overview

Directed by Dominga Sotomayor and co-written with Gabriela Larralde and Alia Trabucco Zerán, Swim To Me captures themes of class divide, emotional dependency, and the quiet tragedies of isolation. The film stars María Paz Grandjean, Rosa Puga Vittini, Ignacia Baeza, Benjamin Westfall, and Rodrigo Palacios.

The film explores power imbalances, as Estela is bound by class, by her role in the home, and by social invisibility, while Julia navigates emotional abandonment despite her privileged status. As their bond deepens, pressures from outside, the household, social norms, and class tensions begin to encroach, setting the stage for tragedy. The narrative hints at a fatal incident that disrupts the fragile equilibrium of their relationship.

Swim To Me Review

The film is a powerful commentary on the special bonds that kids share with their caretakers. Here, Estela works for an affluent family who are too busy to look after their daughter or give her the time she deserves. Though Estela comes off as mean-spirited and not particularly affectionate with Julia, her ward, she still cares for her deeply. Her compassion towards Julia does not stem from compliments or sweet affirmations, but from her decision to stay beside the child, even on nights when she does not want to sleep alone.

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There is also the theme of class disparity going on in the film, where it sharply criticises the lives of the filthy rich, who just care about themselves. In one instance, Estela could not visit her ailing mother because her employers were too busy to handle their own child and refused to grant Estela a holiday. Yet even in these moments, we catch a glimpse of an ordinary woman who longs to live a fulfilling life like anyone else.

It becomes clear that her bond with Julia stems from the fact that she, too, is alone. She is way more of a mother to Julia than her own mom, and that slowly surfaces throughout the film. Julia also prefers spending time with Estela in her room rather than with her friends or family. However, everything comes crashing down because of one mistake that was not even that dreadful. It is apparent that people in power are nice to someone only till they get what they want from them. With just one mistake, influential people can turn downright mean and cruel.

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The highlight of this movie is definitely its compelling second half, which completely flips the entire mood. It has a shocking conclusion where the maid finally snaps, and it almost reminded me of how Parasite ended. But later, something even more startling happens that finally reveals the reason behind the name of the film.

Verdict

I really loved the convincing acting of the actors, especially the actress who played Estela. The surprise comes too abruptly and leaves the audience feeling empty, and perhaps that is what the makers were going for. All in all, I would definitely recommend this movie to anyone who is interested in a profound yet sombre film.

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