“The Girl” is a Colombian television series about a young woman leaving a guerrilla group to become a doctor. It ran for 86 episodes on Caracol TV, premiering April 26, 2016 and running through September 15, 2016. Created by Clara María Ochoa and Juana Uribe, the show blends documentary-style realism with dramatic storytelling.
Ana María Estupiñán plays Belky Bustamante, a former guerrilla fighter who wants to study medicine and heal people instead of hurting them. That simple arc is the engine of the whole series.
The Core Conflict
Belky’s journey is the center of the show. She faces suspicion, danger and personal struggle as she moves from her old life into medical school. Her desire to change is sincere, but the people around her don’t trust her easily.
The supporting cast fills out the world around her. Sebastián Eslava plays Manuel Monsalve, Marcela Benjumea plays Mireya Pinzon, and Marcelo Dos Santos plays Decano Dr. Alfonso Montealegre. Diego Vásquez appears as Coronel Barragan, Juan Manuel Mendoza as Dr. Rodrigo Carrera, and Cristina Campuzano as Dra. Constanza Duque “Connie.” Cony Camelo plays Dra. Tatiana Toquica, Variel Sánchez plays Victor Manjarrés, Santiago Alarcón plays Dr. Horacio Fuentes, Juan Sebastián Aragón plays Coronel Javier Alzate, and Alberto Cardeño plays Miguel Bustamante Eslava.
These characters represent different forces pulling at Belky. Some want to help her, some want to stop her, and some just want to understand her.
What Works
The show handles its central conflict with restraint. Belky’s determination to study medicine is treated as a genuine moral choice, not a plot device. The show also builds tension around the consequences of her past, showing how her history follows her even when she tries to leave it behind.
Estupiñán carries the weight of the series. Her performance grounds the drama in something human, and her scenes with the other leads sell the stakes of her choices.
What Falls Short
The show’s pace drags in its later episodes. Some storylines run longer than they need to, and the middle stretch loses focus while the show works through its 86-episode run. A tighter edit would have served the material better.
The series also leans heavily on its documentary style, which can feel uneven across the long run of episodes. Some scenes look staged, while others feel raw and immediate, and the shift between the two can pull viewers out of the story.
Where It Lands
The show earns its reputation as a solid, if flawed, drama. Its best moments land with real force, especially when it focuses on Belky’s inner conflict. Its worst moments drag, with pacing issues and uneven tone holding it back.
Here is how the show’s strengths and weaknesses break down:
- Strong central performance from Estupiñán anchors the entire series.
- The core conflict between Belky’s desire to heal and her past is handled with restraint.
- The documentary style adds texture but can feel inconsistent across episodes.
- Later episodes lose focus and run longer than necessary.
“The Girl” is worth watching for Estupiñán’s performance and the strength of its central idea. It doesn’t fully deliver on its promise across its full run, but its best moments justify the time invested.
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