# ‘La bola negra’ movie review: a self-satisfied, bracingly overstated faux-epic

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/la-bola-negra-movie-review-a-self-satisfied-bracingly-overstated-faux-epic/
- Published: 2026-10-24T09:52:59+00:00
- Updated: 2026-10-24T10:09:16+00:00
- Original publisher: Far Out
- Original article: https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/javier-calvo-javier-ambrossi-la-bola-negra-movie-review/
- Topics: Entertainment, Film

## Key points

- The film spans three timelines from 1932 to 2017.
- Its review criticises the writing as unsubtle and shallow.
- The reviewer says its 159-minute length is poorly served by the story.

## Summary

Javier Calvo and Javier Ambrossi’s film La bola negra follows three connected stories across 1932, 1937 and 2017, exploring homosexuality, family history and Spain’s past. The review argues that, despite its ambitious scope and awards attention, the film’s heavy-handed writing and shallow treatment of its themes make it feel like an unearned epic.

In 1932, Carlos is excluded from a social club over allegations that he is gay; in 1937, Sebastian survives a bombing and later begins a relationship with prisoner Rafael. In 2017, Sebastian’s grandson Alberto investigates the family’s past and Lorca’s unfinished play La bola negra. The reviewer criticises the links between the timelines, repetitive imagery, explanatory monologues and 159-minute running time, saying the film only skims the historical context it invokes.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.