OUR BEST PICTURE
La Bola Negra's Powerful Love Story
In the battle for Best Picture, we may have found the one film that will challenge Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey. It’s not a big blockbuster movie, but a time-spanning Spanish film about three men exploring their sexuality and what it means to be gay in their given time period. The film? The wonderfully crafted and enriching La bola negra.
La bola negra follows the entwined lives of three gay men across generations. It focuses on “three existences” and shows how love, desire, and pain are present in all. One look at the trailer and you’ll feel the story pull at your heart — a yearning for their stories to be told.
The film is based on the unfinished play by Spanish playwright and poet Federico García Lorca. The creative and romantic duo of Javier Ambrossi and Javier Calvo, most commonly known as Los Javis, adapted the movie and brought it to life through their direction. You can feel their vulnerability on the screen as they tell stories near to their experiences. Los Javis won Best Director at the Cannes Film Festival, where Netflix acquired the film.
Netflix is putting it’s full force behind La bola negra. The streaming service changed its tune on theater releases and is putting this movie in theaters across the country for four weeks before going to the streaming service. It’s a gutsy move that will surely pay off given the prestige and prominence this film has in the indie circuit.
The film features an up-and-coming cast in the main roles. The most notable in the lead roles is Spanish singer and musician Guitarricadelafuente, who plays a young soldier during the Spanish War. Guitarricadelafuente also provided a song for the movie titled “La Nieve,” which will surely compete for the Best Original Song at the Oscars this year. Alongside Guitarricadelafuente in the lead roles are Carlos González and Milo Quifes. But that’s not all. There are two legends in the cast as well: Glenn Close and Penelope Cruz. They appear in incredible and tender supporting roles.
La bola negra will surely end up being one of the best, if not the best, movie of the year. Its powerful, timeless story will leave you wanting more. Just remember to bring your tissues.