Netflix clearly has big plans for La bola negra, a sweeping historical epic taking place across three different stories across three separate timelines. What’s fascinating about Javier Calvo and Javier Ambrossi’s film is its own connection to history and how it presents a rarely explored chapter through a distinctly queer lens. With dazzling, surreal camerawork and a remarkable ensemble that includes two star-powered cameos, this one is poised to be Netflix’s heavy hitter going into awards season, possibly on the level of Emilia Perez a couple of years ago.
La bola negra starts off in shocking, explosive fashion during the most engrossing chapter set in 193. It’s here during the Spanish Civil War that we meet Sebastián (singer-songwriter Guitarricadelafuente in an excellent acting debut), trumpet player in a tiny village that has shown up to warmly cheer the arriving fascist army. Instead, the townsfolk are bombarded and gunned down by mistake, with Sebastián barely escaping with his life. He doesn’t get far, though, and is eventually picked up by the Nationalists. After claiming to be one of their own, he’s given a gun and brought into the fight, where he’s tasked with guarding a handsome prisoner, Rafael (Miguel Bernardeau), a Republican who is due to be interrogated and executed.
Sebastián’s story is the most compelling by far, because we simply don’t see stories about what it was like to be a gay man in that time period and part of the world. Sebastián is clearly struggling with his sexuality, and isn’t willing to talk about it with anybody for obvious reasons. To do so would mean ostracism and likely death. His interactions with Rafael are played close to the chest, too, even though it’s obvious the feelings they have for one another. It’s this quiet secret that they know might have to be taken to the grave.
This story connects with another set in 1932, when Carlos (Milo Quifes), a young upper-class kid with a prominent father, attempts to join the exclusive casino club but is “blackballed” due to rumors that he’s gay. This storyline is based on queer Spanish poet Federico García Lorca’s unfinished work and a play by the film’s co-writer Alberto Conejero. This chapter leads us into the present, where a gay Spanish historian, Alberto (Carlos González), acquires the missing pages and learns of a personal connection he has to it.
The first thing that sticks out about La bola negra is the gorgeous production design and camerawork, with it resembling a vintage print from each time period. There are scenes that will be indelibly burned into memory, including a dazzling musical number and skiers racing down snowy slopes in a fantastical dreamscape. Speaking of rousing musical numbers, Penelope Cruz practically steals the entire movie as Nené Romero, a scantily-clad performer brought in to entertain the troops. Glenn Close doesn’t dance and sing or anything like that, but she shows off her Spanish-speaking chops as a historical expert aiding Alberto in his quest.
La bola negra, a movie trying to corral three massive storylines, inevitably gives some more attention than others. The contemporary segment just doesn’t hold the same grip as the others, which have the benefit of a historical sweep, romance, and tangible danger. However, the payoff is hugely satisfying when all of these stories converge, and you witness the ripple effects of Sebastian’s queerness across multiple generations. The final moments of La bola negra are as powerful as anything you’ll see all year. This is a movie that, fortunately, will get a short theatrical release before it heads to streaming. It’s too big a movie, directed with a grand scale, for it not to be seen on the big screen.
La bola negra hits theaters on October 16th before coming to Netflix on December 2nd.
