La Bola Negra, Los Javis' Lorca-inspired epic, reviewed as London Film Festival screening
Reviews of La Bola Negra, Javier Calvo and Javier Ambrossi's film about three gay men in 1932, 1937 and 2017 Spain, praise it highly. The Evening Standard reviewed it at the London Film Festival, and IndieWire republished its Cannes review.
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The story, neutrally told
Centre · 1La Bola Negra is directed by Javier Calvo and Javier Ambrossi, known in Spain as 'Los Javis', and the Evening Standard reviewed it as a London Film Festival title. Evening StandardN “Directed by Javier Calvo and Javier Ambrossi, or ‘Los Javis’ as they are affectionately known in their native Spain” Read at Evening Standard ↗ Mixed · 2The film interweaves three storylines about gay men in different periods of Spanish history: Carlos (Milo Quifes) in 1932 Granada, Sebastián (Guitarricadelafuente) during the 1937 Civil War, and the history student Alberto (Carlos González) in 2017 Madrid. Evening StandardN “weaves together the storylines of three interconnected gay men living in different periods of Spanish history” Read at Evening Standard ↗ IndieWireLC “a neorealist tale of a closeted young man seeking membership at a casino in 1932, a tragic wartime romance set in 1937, and a lo-fi drama about a historian prompted to investigate all of this in 2017” Read at IndieWire ↗ Mixed · 2It is partly based on an unfinished play by Federico García Lorca; IndieWire adds that the 1937 strand draws on Alberto Conejero's 2023 play 'La Piedra Obscura', and that Conejero has a screenwriting credit. Evening StandardN “on whose unfinished queer play this film is partly based” Read at Evening Standard ↗ IndieWireLC “Conejero has a screenwriting credit with Los Javis in this queered version of his play.” Read at IndieWire ↗
Mixed · 2In 1937 Sebastián, forced into the Nationalist side, is made to guard a wounded Republican prisoner, Rafael Rodríguez Rapún (Miguel Bernardeau), a former Atlético Madrid player, and the two grow close. Evening StandardN “An injured Republican soldier, Rafael Rodríguez Rapún (Miguel Bernardeau), who was an actor and played for Atlético Madrid before the war, is placed under his watch.” Read at Evening Standard ↗ IndieWireLC “Sebastián’s job is to guard him.” Read at IndieWire ↗ Mixed · 2Penélope Cruz appears in a cameo, which both reviews single out, and IndieWire also notes Glenn Close as an American Lorca scholar in the 2017 strand. Evening StandardN “Penélope Cruz has a standout cameo” Read at Evening Standard ↗ IndieWireLC “Glenn Close shows up in 2017 to play American academic Isabelle Durand” Read at IndieWire ↗ Centre · 1The Evening Standard's Hannah Pettit calls it 'an achingly moving film' that 'deserves all the praise (and possible Oscars)'; she says the transitions between time periods could be smoother and the modern-day storyline is noticeably less compelling than the other two. Evening StandardN “While the transitions between the time periods could be a bit more seamless and the modern-day storyline feels noticeably less compelling than the other two” Read at Evening Standard ↗
Left · 1IndieWire's Kate Erbland calls it 'a Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius', describes the screenplay as 'either perfect or pretty damn close', and says each of the three stories is 'exquisitely crafted'. IndieWireLC “The screenplay is either perfect or pretty damn close”“Each of these three stories is exquisitely crafted on its own individual terms” Read at IndieWire ↗ Left · 1IndieWire's piece is an earlier review republished on 15 October; it first ran on 21 May 2026 after the film's Cannes premiere. Its editor's note says Netflix will open the film in New York and Los Angeles on 16 October and expand wider before streaming. IndieWireLC “This review was originally published on May 21, 2026 out of the 2026 Cannes Film Festival.”“Netflix will open the film in New York and Los Angeles on Friday, October 16” Read at IndieWire ↗
Every sentence links to the reporting it rests on. The pill in front of each says where its sources sit: Left, Centre or Right when one side supplies at least half of them, Mixed when they are evenly split. The number is how many outlets it cites.
Left1 outlet
- Framing
- A long, rapturous review that treats the film as a monument to queer storytellers, with close attention to craft, structure and sound design.
- Emphasis
- Historical context of Lorca and the Civil War, the screenplay's structure, the 1937 romance, and the Netflix release dates.
- Leaves out or plays down
- Makes no criticism of the film, and does not mention the London Film Festival screening.
- Charged language
- “Staggering Genius”“mind-blowingly hot”“horniest depiction of military life”
Centre1 outlet
- Framing
- A short festival review that calls the film an unmissable 'arthouse' title and a likely Oscar contender, with praise for the cast and the production design.
- Emphasis
- Plot summary of the three timelines, ensemble cast, cinematography and production design, and awards prospects.
- Leaves out or plays down
- Gives little on the Lorca play's background, Netflix release plans or the Cannes premiere.
- Charged language
- “achingly moving”“knockout ensemble cast”
- For example
-
“If there’s one arthouse film you must see this year, it’s this.” — Evening Standard
“deserves all the praise (and possible Oscars) it will get and more” — Evening Standard
Right0 outlets
No right outlet in our sources has covered this story yet.
What every side reports
- Los Javis (Javier Calvo and Javier Ambrossi) directed La Bola Negra.
- The film follows gay men in 1932, 1937 and 2017 Spain and is inspired by an unfinished Lorca play.
- Both reviews are strongly positive and mention Penélope Cruz's cameo.
Where accounts differ
-
Whether the film is uniformly strong
- Left
- IndieWire has no criticism: it calls the screenplay 'either perfect or pretty damn close' and says all three stories are exquisitely crafted.
- Centre
- The Evening Standard praises it but says the modern-day storyline is noticeably less compelling and the transitions could be smoother.
Los Javis person
Los Javis are presented by both reviewers as the film's creators; Erbland says they collaborate with Lorca's spirit to finish his play and honour queer storytellers who died young.
“Los Javis collaborate with Lorca’s spirit to finalize this play” — IndieWire
“is a sprawling spectacle which weaves together the storylines” — Evening Standard
La Bola Negra other
The film is presented as an epic about love and repressed queer expression in Spanish history, and as an awards contender.
“skillfully unearths the queer expression that’s been suppressed over the decades” — Evening Standard
UK and Ireland1 outlet
The Evening Standard reviews the film as a London Film Festival title and an awards contender.
“La Bola Negra deserves all the praise (and possible Oscars) it will get and more.” — Evening Standard
Evening Standard
North America1 outlet
IndieWire's republished Cannes review is tied to the film's US release through Netflix.
“Netflix will open the film in New York and Los Angeles on Friday, October 16” — IndieWire
IndieWire
Left1 article
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IndieWireLC · · Opinion
Celebratory Rapturous, detailed craft-focused review, republished from Cannes, that praises the film as near-flawless.
Centre1 article
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Evening StandardN · · Opinion
La Bola Negra at London Film Festival: Grand and achingly moving
Celebratory Enthusiastic festival review that recommends the film and predicts Oscar recognition, with a brief note on its weaker modern strand.
Right0 articles
No coverage yet.
- 14 Oct 20:07 First Evening StandardN La Bola Negra at London Film Festival: Grand and achingly moving Opinion
- 15 Oct 16:32 +20h 25m IndieWireLC ‘La Bola Negra’ Review: Los Javis’ Era-Spanning Monument to Gay Storytellers Is a Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius Opinion
Times are when each article was published, or when we first saw it if the outlet gave no time.
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