Naman Shrestha
Based on the award-winning novel titled ‘Limpia’ written by Alia Trabucco Zerán, Netflix’s ‘Swim to Me’ is a Chilean family drama movie directed by Dominga Sotomayor. The narrative centers on a domestic worker named Estela, who relocates from her house in rural Chile to the bustling city of Santiago, where she finds employment as a maid for a rich family. As she is hired to take care of a six-year-old girl all day and night throughout the summer, the two form an unlikely yet strong bond despite the huge difference between their worlds.
With the summer approaching its end, the co-dependency shared by Estela and the girl is likely to come to a heartbreaking end. Originally titled ‘Limpia,’ the film stars María Paz Grandjean, Rosa Puga Vittini, Ignacia Baeza Hidalgo, Benjamín Westfall, and Rodrigo Palacios. Since most of the story unfolds in the upper-class neighborhood of Santiago, the locations are used to paint a vivid picture of the affluent and wealthy lifestyle of the girl’s family.
Swim to Me Filming Locations
‘Swim to Me’ was filmed in its entirety in Chile, officially known as the Republic of Chile. Principal photography for the Netflix production got underway around late 2024 and went on for several weeks before wrapping up in January 2025. The director, Dominga Sotomayor, took to social media to share his experience of shooting the film with his cast and crew. He stated, “it’s a shoot! so proud of this amazing team, missing a lot of people in the picture!. thank you for these intensely happy and caring days.”
Chile
The production of ‘Swim to Me’ was reportedly conducted in Chile. The vastness and versatility of the South American country make it an ideal filming site for all kinds of projects. The filming unit supposedly took over various streets and neighborhoods of its capital, Santiago, where the movie is actually set. Thus, it is likely that you might spot a few iconic landmarks, buildings, and places of interest in the backdrop of several exterior scenes, such as the National Library of Chile, Torre Entel, Santiago Metropolitan Cathedral, Gran Torre Costanera, and Chilean National Museum of Fine Arts.
During a conversation with Deadline, the director was asked to talk about his desired tone and visual style. He explained, “Limpia has elements of my previous work: the shots, the lighting, the way the characters are filmed, the role of the children, the everyday moments, the popular songs, all of that has a lot to do with my cinema. I was able to continue developing my way of working with actors and non-actors, and in particular, I feel like I learned a lot working with Rosa, a little girl who had never made a film before. It was very challenging, and although I have several films that feature children or teenagers, it’s always different, and in this case, she was very young—she had just turned 6.”
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