La Bola Negra

A big, old-school historical melodrama channeling an unfinished Lorca play gets a thrillingly modern, queer makeover in this second feature from powerhouse writer-director duo Javier Calvo and Javier Ambrossi (in their native Spain, they’re known as “Los Javis”). Juggling three timelines and three gay protagonists across 1937, 1932, and 2017, this supremely confident and richly crafted triptych is much more than the sum of its parts — though working out quite how they interlock is a key pleasure.

The film’s backbone is its war story: Sebastian (played by singer Guitarricadelafuente) is conscripted into the fascist forces and ordered to befriend a leftist prisoner (Miguel Bernardeau) who refuses to share information. Five years earlier, Carlos (Milo Quifes) is blackballed from his father’s club for his sexual proclivities. And in 2017, writer-historian Alberto (Carlos Gonzalez) receives a surprising bequest…

A bold and exhilarating work, this dark-horse Competition entry came away with the Directing prize at Cannes.

Los Javis execute this mighty vision with thrilling technical bravado. Nearly every shot in the film is a carefully composed wonder […] It’s a dazzlingly assured film, delivering the heady satisfaction of seeing something ambitious actually land its nervy attempt.

Richard Lawson, Hollywood Reporter