Entertainment · Film · 1 day ago
La Bola Negra explores gay lives and Spain’s generational trauma
La Bola Negra is a film by Spanish directors Javier Calvo and Javier Ambrossi.
It connects stories about three gay men living in 1932, 1937 and 2017.
The film draws on a 2013 play inspired by Federico García Lorca’s unfinished work, La Bola Negra.
Lorca was murdered before he could complete that play, which the directors said would have portrayed a gay character.
They visited the archive in Granada where its surviving screenplay pages are kept and used them to imagine the film’s world.
The film also includes a story about Rafael Rodríguez Rapún, a real-life football player who had a love story with Lorca during the Spanish Civil War.
By linking these histories, the directors explore trauma across generations and the survival of art under fascism.
Spanish directors Javier Calvo and Javier Ambrossi discussed their film La Bola Negra at Deadline’s Contenders London.
The film connects stories of three gay men set in 1932, 1937 and 2017.
Its story draws on Alberto Conejero’s 2013 play La piedra oscura and Federico García Lorca’s unfinished play La Bola Negra.
The directors said Lorca’s unfinished work and the history surrounding it helped shape their film.
Penélope Cruz plays Nené Romero, a Cuplé singer who entertains soldiers during the Spanish Civil War.
- Who
- Directors Javier Calvo and Javier Ambrossi discussed the film. Penélope Cruz and singer-songwriter Guitarricadelafuente are among its cast.
- What
- La Bola Negra is a film about three connected stories involving gay men across different generations.
- When
- The stories are set in 1932, 1937 and 2017. The directors discussed the film at Contenders London; the article was published on October 10, 2026.
- Where
- The discussion took place at Deadline’s Contenders London. The directors also visited Granada to consult Lorca’s preserved screenplay.
- Why
- The film explores generational trauma and draws on Lorca’s unfinished play and Conejero’s La piedra oscura.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
something touched deep inside, like a wound I didn’t know I had about like my country and what happened like 90 years ago
We realized it was the first play he was going to portray a gay character, so it was going to be revolutionary. But he was murdered. He couldn’t do it, and we were like, ‘What a loss!’
It was like a challenge, you know. I was like, oh my god, if we reimagine this world, it could be something very beautiful.
I don’t choose the material based on how many minutes the character is on screen.
One of the film’s three connected stories is set in this year.
Another of the film’s stories is set in this year.
Alberto Conejero’s play La piedra oscura, which inspired the film, was published.
The film’s third story is set in this year.
- Film
- La Bola Negra
- Directors
- Javier Calvo and Javier Ambrossi
- Connected stories
- Three, set in 1932, 1937 and 2017
- Inspirational play
- Alberto Conejero’s La piedra oscura, from 2013
- Preserved screenplay
- Four pages of Lorca’s unfinished work are held at the Centro Federico Garcia Lorca
Sources
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