“La Bola Negra” is a herculean queer tale that justifies its scale

“La Bola Negra” crosscuts between three timelines, each set at a different point in Spanish history.

In 1932, a young man tries to join an elite group in a high-class casino but is rejected when the public learns of his hidden homosexuality. In 1937, during the Spanish Civil War, a musician is recruited into the Nationalist army and forced to guard a Republican soldier with whom he has secretly formed a bond. In 2017, a young playwright inherits a mysterious letter from his late grandfather, containing the long-lost manuscript of a play that explores the excruciating history of being queer in Spain.

This is the sophomore feature of Javier Calvo and Javier Ambrossi, collectively known as Los Javis, and it is a complete departure from their first film, “Holy Camp”, a quaint teenage comedy about two girls who have a divine encounter at summer camp. In the years since, the duo has directed and produced several sprawling television series, which became their natural path towards “La Bola Negra”.

Beyond its multilayered storytelling, the film is ambitious in its subject matter. It is heavily inspired by the life of Federico García Lorca, the Spanish playwright who was assassinated on the cusp of the Spanish Civil War because of his politics and queer identity. The film builds on his unfinished play, from which it takes its title, and gives it a deserving resolution within the fictional story.

“La Bola Negra” reflects the secretive, discriminatory lives of queer people in old Spain, but it is the inclusion of a present-day narrative that gives the film its introspective call for help and justice. The presentation is both herculean and intimate, and while the running time of two hours and 39 minutes can feel heavy, the film justifies its scale in its powerful closing moments.

Calvo and Ambrossi deliver superb direction, the large cast gives excellent performances (notably Guitarricadelafuente as the musician turned soldier of the 1937 story), and Gris Jordana’s cinematography is beautiful. At the time of writing, “La Bola Negra” is poised to be a strong awards player this year, having already won Best Director at the most recent Cannes Film Festival. It is an easy pick for Best Picture, if the momentum behind another herculean epic from Christopher Nolan dwindles soon. 

“La Bola Negra” opens in New Zealand cinemas on October 15.

Featured images from Rialto Distribution