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Gay Titanic: A War Epic with Popcorn
28 Oct
Summary
- La Bola Negra is a large-scale queer war epic directed by Los Javis.
- The film intertwines stories from 1932, 1937, and 2017 Spain.
- It features Penélope Cruz and Glenn Close, with a maximalist style.
Directors Javier Ambrossi and Javier Calvo, known as Los Javis, have crafted "La Bola Negra," a sweeping queer epic envisioned as the "gay Titanic." Their goal was to create the biggest possible gay war movie, moving beyond niche LGBTQ+ cinema. The film has already garnered critical acclaim, with potential for Oscar nominations.
"La Bola Negra" navigates through three distinct periods in Spain: 1932, focusing on a casino's discriminatory membership practices; 1937, detailing a soldier's complex feelings for a republican prisoner; and 2017, centering on a historian inheriting a Lorca story. This narrative forms the movie's titular thread.
The film is a vibrant collage, blending the Spanish Civil War with contemporary queer experiences. It features impressive set pieces and a distinctive visual flair, with cameos from Penélope Cruz and Glenn Close. The directors aimed to deliver a grand cinematic experience, comparable to "Titanic," to an audience eager for such stories.
Los Javis, who met as actors, have explored LGBTQ+ themes in their work for 13 years. "La Bola Negra" marks a significant personal step for Ambrossi, who addresses his own past feelings of shame regarding desire. This deeper exploration of desire is a departure from previous projects, such as "Holy Camp!" and "La Mesías."
Ambrossi emphasizes the importance of casting gay actors in gay roles, citing Rupert Everett's impact on his own understanding of identity. Calvo, who faced industry bias as a young gay actor, shares that their decision to write roles for underrepresented actors stems from personal experience.
The directors' public persona as "Los Javis" led to a sense of lost individuality for Calvo, contributing to their temporary separation during film production. They now aim to concentrate primarily on filmmaking, viewing their diverse career as a statement about new forms of creative expression.
The film also touches upon Spanish cultural identity, referencing a sentiment that national pride can be viewed with suspicion. Los Javis, however, assert their own triumphs with a resounding "Not us," indicating a departure from this tendency.
