Aahana Swrup
The Spanish drama film ‘Swim to Me’ follows the narrative of a worker from a small town who is employed as a full-time maid under an affluent family in Santiago, Chile. The protagonist, Estela, is an integral, if hidden, part of the Jensen family as the one who takes care of the household’s domestic matters. This includes looking after the six-year-old Julia, whose parents have a habit of brushing all caretaking duties to their housekeeper. While this results in the creation of a profound relationship between Estela and Julia, it also casts a blanket of control over the former’s life. Unable to get her holidays greenlit in time, the woman often finds herself only longing to visit her mother again without being able to. Yet, during her employment, she manages to make a home for herself, partly thanks to new friendships. One of these notably includes the companionship of Dadu, the local stray dog, who frequently sneaks into the Jensen residence for the occasional treats. SPOILERS AHEAD!
Dadu Meets a Tragic Demise at the Hands of Mara and Estela
Dadu’s integration into Estela’s life is a gradual process. Initially, their paths cross when the stray dog ends up innocently following her home, likely in search of some food. In turn, the housekeeper feeds him and sends him on his way. Over the next few days, she continues to run into the canine, who seems to have also befriended the charming gas station clerk, Carlos. Consequently, soon enough, as the trio continues to hang out together, Dadu becomes a staple part of Estela’s life. At times, when Mara and Cristobal aren’t home, she even lets the dog stay over in her apartment on the Jensens’ property. Naturally, even Julia becomes friends with him, often hanging out with him. However, in one unfortunate instance, a spooked Dadu ends up biting the young girl, which results in a short but tense hospital visit.
Ultimately, Julia doesn’t blame the dog for his indiscretion and even insists on staying friends with him. However, while she previously kept the incident a secret from her parents, she ends up blurting it out following a moment of conflict between her and her nanny. This arrives on the heels of Dadu’s unfortunate visit to the Jensen residence at a time when Mara is home. Consequently, the mother realizes that Estela has been allowing the dog to enter the premises of the house to the point where her daughter even got injured once. Even though the situation is complicated and demands nuance, Mara refuses to hear any explanation and demands that the dog and Estela leave. In a heated moment, she even turns on the garden hose in an attempt to drive away the dog.
However, in doing so, Mara ends up directly exposing the electric fence around her yard’s entrance to water. When Dadu inevitably makes a run for the same spot, he ends up getting electrocuted on the spot. There’s little to no hope of survival for the dog in the aftermath. By the time someone will be able to figure out how to turn off the fence or rescue the dog from his position, it will already be too late. Estela comes to the same conclusion. For the same reason, she decides to march into the house and procure Cristobal’s hidden revolver from his closet. Afterward, she shoots Dadu, delivering him to a tragic death as an act of mercy killing. In the end, the dog dies as an innocent victim caught up in the power plays and conflicts inside the Jensen residence.
Read More: Is Swim to Me Based on a True Story?
