Queer cinema has taken Cannes by storm this year. Titles like Coward, Club Kid, and Tangles have appeared across the various sections of the festival and garnered warm receptions. Breaking records left, right, and center, there were 21 films competing for the Queer Palme (compared to 18 the last two years) and seven queer-themed films In Competition, including a film that went under everyone’s radar, La Bola Negra. The Best Director winning pair Javier Ambrossi and Javier Calvo’s (Los Javis) second feature-length film stands out leaps and bounds amongst the rest.
In a sweeping historical epic spanning across three distinct timelines, we are introduced to a young man Carlos (Milo Quifes) seeking membership at an exclusive Casino in 1932, two soldiers, Sebastián (Guitarricadelafuente) and Rafael (Miguel Bernardeau), during the Spanish Civil War in 1937, and a historian, Alberto (Carlos González), on a journey after he has been told he was in his grandfather’s will in 2017. Inspired by the unfinished work of Spanish poet and playwright Federico García Lorca, the story boasts a larger-than-life exploration into queerness in Spain over almost a century.
The four that make up the main ensemble each felt unabashedly authentic to their eras. Quifes draws upon a deeply moving yet subdued depiction of what it is like to mask your sexuality to conform to societal norms. Guitarricadelafuente and Bernardeau exude a gut-wrenching chemistry towards one another as we witness their forbidden desire in the military hospital. González beautifully goes on a transformative journey from someone who has it all figured out to slowly realizing they have so much more to learn. Together, they all cohesively explore the facets of their identities in a way that never feels dull or laborious as we switch between the time periods.
Quite easily, the scale of the storytelling could overwhelm audiences. While others may take this as a sign to ensure the viewer is hand-held through the experience, editor Alberto Gutiérrez does the exact opposite. He trusts that we have the competency to manage the ferocious cuts to the different timelines, and it works in his favor.
Gutiérrez achieves this with the help of colorist Jorge Ortiz Yus. He differentiates the years with varying color palettes – one focusing on sharper yet dream-like visuals, the other highlighting darker, almost vintage hues, and the last opting for muted tones. By effectively and consistently establishing the era-based color grading, you are subconsciously and seamlessly transported between the storylines with just a glance. Ortiz Yus also ensures that while the differences are clear, they do not come across as cliché for that time.
There is no denying the magnitude of the screenplay itself, written by Los Javis. We have to earn our right to watch everything fall into place, as the duo intricately lay breadcrumbs until suddenly it all clicks in the most gratifying, triumphant piecing together of a complete puzzle. With a daunting 155-minute runtime that risks meandering, Los Javis takestake a big swing that ultimately knocks it out of the park.
Aside from the main ensemble, the film has two jaw-dropping cameos. Both Penélope Cruz (who plays a cabaret performer) and Glenn Close (who plays an international biographer) make waves with their minimal screen time – there to catalyze ideas of the boundlessness of transvestism as well as the power of remembrance. In two of the film’s most emotional sequences, it is safe to say that Cruz and Close were utter scene-stealers, captivating audiences with their flawless delivery of dialogue.
To fit the gravitas of the film, an apt score is necessary. Composer Raül Fernandez Miró delivers precisely that on all fronts. From the grand, dramatic orchestra pieces to the more soft, intimate scoring, Fernandez Miró so eloquently fills the silence of dialogue with highly evocative melodies that speak louder than words.
La Bola Negra pulled the rug out from under us all with Los Javis pouring their hearts and souls into their sophomore feature. The strong cast, the impeccable narrative imagery, and the utterly showstopping storytelling fell into place in what is a momentous accomplishment for the directing duo.
Review Courtesy of Nandita Joshi
Feature Image Credit to Suma Content Films, Los Esquiadores A.I.E., Movistar Plus+, El Deseo, Le Pacte