Netflix has released the official teaser trailer for La Bola Negra, the epic from Cannes-winning directors Javier Calvo and Javier Ambrossi, known together as Los Javis.
What is ‘La Bola Negra’ about?
The film spans nearly a century, tracking three men whose stories intersect in 1932, 1937 and 2017. Per Netflix’s Tudum, “Carlos (Quifes) longs to belong in a fractured Spain. Sebastián (Guitarricadelafuente) finds connection across enemy lines. And Alberto (González) uncovers a long-buried family secret — one that finally gives voice to truths the past tried to erase.”
Calvo and Ambrossi told Tudum they set out to tell a story rooted in queer visibility and legacy: “When we began writing La Bola Negra, we wanted to tell a story about freedom, legacy, and the importance of LGBTQ+ visibility. Above all, we wanted to honor the generations of people whose courage and sacrifice made our freedoms possible today.”
Scored to Vera Lynn’s “We’ll Meet Again,” the footage jumps between a casino in a small Spanish town, the chaos of the civil war era and a modern-day timeline. Calvo told Tudum the film is preoccupied with inheritance and memory: “With this film, the central question is what we do with our past, with our inheritance, with the objects and art that remain, with the traces history leaves behind.” Ambrossi added that the film’s time-jumping structure was mapped out well before production began: “We imagined it very precisely before shooting, even the cuts were already there in the script. If you read the screenplay, it’s extremely close to the finished film.”
Is ‘La Bola Negra’ based on a true story?
Its title is drawn from an unfinished work by Federico García Lorca, the Spanish poet and playwright killed in 1936. Los Javis co-wrote the screenplay with Alberto Conejero, adapting Conejero’s play La piedra oscura, La bola negra along with other Lorca texts.
Who stars in ‘La Bola Negra’?
Guitarricadelafuente makes his acting debut as Sebastián. The cast also includes Miguel Bernardeau as Rafael Rodríguez Rapún, Carlos González as Alberto, Milo Quifes as Carlos, Lola Dueñas as Teresa, Julio Torres as Juan Pablo, Penélope Cruz as Nené Romero, and Glenn Close as Isabelle.
Calvo told Tudum that Guitarricadelafuente’s involvement shaped the project from the start: “When we are writing, we try to picture who is going to do it, and then write it for him or her. We were already big fans of Guitarrica’s work. With the sensitivity he brings onstage and his beautiful songs and performances, we knew he could do it, that he could act. He’s already telling a story when he’s singing.” Ambrossi added, “Guitarrica was such a revelation when we were writing that we were like, ‘If he’s doing it, we can do it. If not, we cannot.’ The role of Sebastián was that important to us.”
La Bola Negra premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in May, where Calvo and Ambrossi won Best Director. The film heads to the Telluride Film Festival this week ahead of its theatrical run, and will also screen at the Toronto International Film Festival’s Special Presentations section, where it will have its Canadian premiere Sept. 15. Penélope Cruz will receive a Special Tribute Award at the TIFF Tribute Awards.
Calvo and Ambrossi told Tudum they’re grateful to bring the film to Netflix’s audience: “We couldn’t imagine a better home than Netflix to bring this story to audiences across the United States. We are deeply grateful and excited that its message will reach millions of viewers and help carry Federico García Lorca’s legacy to audiences around the world. This is the beginning of an extraordinary new chapter for La Bola Negra, and we can’t wait for audiences to discover it.”
When does ‘La Bola Negra’ premiere?
La Bola Negra opens in U.S. theaters Oct. 16, followed by its Netflix premiere in the U.S. and Canada on Dec. 2.
Watch the teaser below:
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