Netflix went full prestige bio-novela with Bolívar (2019), a sweeping historical drama chronicling the life of Simón Bolívar – the OG liberator of South America. From silver spoon to sabers drawn, Bolívar’s journey gets the full Netflix glow-up. Think war, betrayal, revolution, and more than a few lingering glances across candlelit rooms.
Before he was the “Liberator,” Simón Bolívar was just a heartbroken criollo with killer cheekbones, a revolutionary fire, and an army of drama.
In Spain, young Bolívar gets a crash course in elite charm school, fencing egos with aristocrats while falling head over boots for the angelic María Teresa. Their whirlwind romance ends in heartbreak when illness steals her away, leaving Simón shattered and pledging eternal bachelorhood (cue dramatic rain montage). Meanwhile, back in Venezuela, the family tea’s boiling over with mistresses, money troubles, and mysterious pregnancies included.
As grief sends Bolívar spiraling through Parisian debauchery and philosophical awakenings, another fierce spirit rises: a bold Ecuadorian named Manuela Sáenz, fighting convent rules like it’s training for the revolution.
