Netflix’s The Guest: A Colombian thriller opens with a shock and widens into a family-intrigue saga

A Bogotá-set Netflix thriller, The Guest, opens with a therapist's balcony suicide that jolts viewers into a world where private pain collides with public ambition. The incident threads into the lives of Silvia, a celebrated cellist, and her husband Lorenzo, a prosecutor-to-be whose campaign for attorney general places them in the national spotlight. In the first therapy session, Silvia is forced to confront Lorenzo's infidelity and a chasm in their sexual and emotional needs, even as Lorenzo clings to the belief that their love can conquer their troubles. The couple later visit a family estate, where they share a charged moment, underscoring the show’s blend of sex, power and danger.

That tension takes an immediate turn with the arrival of Sonia, a woman Silvia met at a recent retreat who shows up at their home unannounced. Played by Carmen Villalobos, Sonia claims to be a friend and supporter, but her presence appears to be part of a larger plan: she keeps crossing paths with people close to Silvia and Lorenzo, and she moves with quiet, unsettling confidence. A call to a partner on her end—"I'm in"—signals wiring of the plot beyond what the couple understands. The next day, Sonia accompanies Silvia on a shopping trip, and the two women form a bond that feels too convenient to be innocent. The couple’s public lives add to the intrigue: Silvia’s status as a cellist and Lorenzo’s role as a rising attorney general candidate become entangled with a political opponent who has started to loom in interviews and debates. Meanwhile, their teenage daughter Isa, played by Kami Zea, is caught between the social pressures of viral culture and a family under scrutiny, with a dare to perform a viral Instagram challenge that promises trouble for all involved.

Created by Lina Uribe and Dario Vanegas, The Guest wears its genre openly: a modern-day thriller with telenovela flourishes, heavy on mood, sex appeal, and political stakes. The 20-episode season signals a long-running arc that will gradually reveal how Sonia's plan, Lorenzo's campaign, and Isa's online world converge. The first hour makes clear that Sonia's motives are not fully known, but she has access to intimate truths about Silvia and Lorenzo that could tilt the race and the family’s safety. The show nods to popular Netflix thrillers in tone—without being based on a specific work—while marrying suspense to melodrama through crisp pacing and a pulsating score.

While The Guest is upfront about its central premise, it also leans into the melodramatic machinery of telenovelas: sudden shifts in alliances, secrets kept in plain sight, and performances that skew larger than life. Laura Londoño embodies Silvia’s calm composure and simmering fear, while Jason Day’s Lorenzo reveals a man torn between desire, ambition and the danger of his own impulses. Villalobos's Sonia channels a sly confidence that suggests plans beyond her initial offer of friendship. The show also threads Isa’s storyline into the larger puzzle, hinting that the viral challenge could be used as leverage or a trap as the season proceeds.

As the season unfolds, The Guest appears poised to deliver a steady stream of shocks and reversals rather than a single twist. Its Bogotá setting and political backdrop provide a local flavor to a global streaming format, offering viewers a thriller that doubles as family drama. The Guest is available on Netflix, inviting audiences to watch the unfolding plan from the first hour onward.