La Bola Negra is expansively brilliant and another must-see film of 2026.
La Bola Negra is imposing and masterfully incorporates three stories into one while it also highlights the oppression of homosexuality in a time of rising right-wing extremism acting as a timely warning in our current age.
La Bola Negra begins in 1937 during the Spanish Civil war where a village waits for the arrival of the Italian troops and the band along with Sebastián (Guitarricadelafuente) who is the trumpet player, starts to play as the troops arrive. However the troops begin to fire at the villagers killing many including Sebastián’s mother. Sebastián flees the village but is captured and becomes a Nationalist soldier. Switching to Sebastián later in the film, he is given the task of guarding an injured Republican prisoner, Rafael Rodríguez Rapún (Miguel Bernardeau).
After the initial introductory sequences of Sebastián, the film switches back to 1932 in Granada where Carlos (Milo Quifes) is a young homosexual man who is not out from a wealthy family and is applying to become a member the elite casino club, where his father is also a member. The board members use a system of white or black balls to cast their votes. Carlos is rejected for membership because of the rumours of his sexuality.
The third story is set in 2017 where Alberto (Carlos González) is a historian and a former playwright. Alberto lives with Juan (Julio Torres) in Madrid and has a struggling relationship with his mother, Teresa (Lola Dueñas). Alberto is contacted by a lawyer in Cantabria informing him that his estranged grandfather has left him an inheritance, which he discovers to be the long lost pages of the play ‘La bola negra’ by Lorca.
La Bola Negra incorporates the true story of an unfinished play by Spanish writer Federico Garcia Lorca which contained homosexual themes written in 1936 before he was killed and the play was lost, and is inspired in part by Alberto Conejero’s play ‘La piedra oscura’. Directors and screenwriters Javier Ambrossi and Javier Calvo have developed the source material into an intriguing web of the stories which evolve skillfully into one.
Along with cinematographer Gris Jordana, Ambrossi and Calvo have created an impressive representation of the time periods, highlighted by the musical segment featuring Penélope Cruz and the ending of Carlos’ story.
Guitarricadelafuente, Miguel Bernardeau, Milo Quifes and Carlos González are superb in their leading roles and are outstandingly supported by the whole cast. This is Milo Quifes first film role. There is a stunning musical piece with Penélope Cruz and Glen Close also has a cameo part.
La Bola Negra is expansively brilliant and another must-see film of 2026.
Reviewed by Rob McKinnon
Rating 5 out of 5
Distributor: RialtoDistribution
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