By John Corrado
La Bola Negra, the new film from co-directors Javier Calvo and Javier Ambrossi known collectively as Los Javis, is an ambitious multi-character drama mixing elements of war movie, love story, and portrait of the persecution faced by gay men throughout Spanish history. It’s a sweeping film, that comes together beautifully by the end.
Partially inspired by the works of Spanish writer Federico García Lorca, the film unfolds across three distinct timelines. In 1937, during the Spanish Civil War, we follow Sebastián (Guitarricadelafuente), a soldier who is assigned to watch over Rafael (Miguel Bernardeau), a young prisoner of war.
In 1932, Carlos (Milo Quifes) seeks membership in an exclusive men’s social club, but faces rejection due to his rumoured sexuality. The vote on his membership, involving black and white balls, is what gives the film its title. Finally, in 2017, we are introduced to Alberto (Carlos González), a young gay historian trying to repair his relationship with his mother (Lola Dueñas), while exploring his estranged family’s history and legacy.
The scope of La Bola Negra is pretty staggering, from the confident direction by Calvo and Ambrossi, to Gris Jordana’s stunning cinematography, and the moving, poetic storytelling. The filmmakers do a seamless job of weaving all of these stories and characters together, with editor Alberto Gutiérrez cutting between timelines in a way that flows beautifully. The film is long at 160 minutes, but that length is rarely felt since the storytelling is so engaging.
The uniformly strong performances also help carry it. Spanish singer-songwriter Guitarricadelafuente, a screen presence unknown to North American audiences, does an impressive job of carrying a lot of the story. Penélope Cruz waltzes into the film partway through, and steals the spotlight as a performer entertaining the troops. Glenn Close gets limited screen time in a small supporting role, but makes the most of it with one especially poignant scene.
There are entire sequences here that are very well-crafted and work exceptionally well on their own, guided by evocative imagery. But, collectively, the power of them all together is pretty transcendent, with La Bola Negra culminating in being a very moving cinematic experience.
Film Rating: ★★★★ (out of 4)
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