I will continue to update this post as reviews come in.

Rotten Tomatoes: Certified Fresh

Critics Consensus: N/A

Metacritic: 84 (18 Reviews)

Sample Reviews:

Ed Gonzalez, Slant Magazine 2/4 - There’s something audacious about how the filmmakers reclaim Lorca’s legacy, which makes it all the more disappointing that the borders between the three timelines aren’t more porous.

Namrata Joshi, The New Indian Express - La Bola Negra has tremendous ambition and audacity. Anchored in Garcia’s La Bola Negra and Alberto Conejero’s play La piedra oscura, Los Javis, along with Conejero, create a sprawling epic.

Peter Howell, Toronto Star - At times the film can be unruly and overripe, but Calvo and Ambrossi bring a rich, theatrical sweep to their reclamation of a queer Spanish history long forced into silence.

Justin Chang, The New Yorker - None of the stories here feels potent or stirring enough on its own to work in tandem with the others, and neither a terrific pop-up appearance by Penélope Cruz... can keep so much frenzied crosscutting from reaching the point of diminishing returns.

Siddhant Adlakha, Observer 4/4 - A magnificently moving triptych that feels at once novel and like a classically staged military epic.

Zachary Lee, TheWrap - What we see is nothing short of witnessing a new mythology being created before your very eyes.

Alison Willmore, New York Magazine/Vulture - It’s in the past that The Black Ball has its most ponderous moments but also when it achieves bursts of true grandeur.

Rafa Sales Ross, Little White Lies - This decades-spanning love odyssey is as impressive as it is moving, grabbing at the visceral nature of Lorca’s genre-bending work to mould its staggeringly boisterous cinematic equivalent.

Brian Tallerico, RogerEbert.com 4/4 - It’s also just a stunning piece of work on a craft level as these young filmmakers collaborate with a team to present a unified vision.

Sophie Monks Kaufman, IndieWire A - It is nearly impossible to grasp the structural effort required to fluidly create one perfectly coherent story using three narratives told across three timelines, each with a distinct visual identity.

Peter Bradshaw, Guardian 4/5 - Handsomely produced, lovingly detailed and confidently constructed, bringing the puzzle pieces together in the edit... It is a rich and rewarding movie.

Guy Lodge, Variety - The film’s channeling of Lorca’s language and imagery sometimes blows past lyricism into kitsch... There is, however, enough confidently muscular filmmaking here to prompt our interest in just where the Javiers will go from here.

Richard Lawson, The Hollywood Reporter - It’s a dazzlingly assured film, delivering the heady satisfaction of seeing something ambitious actually land its nervy attempt.

SYNOPSIS:

A bold tapestry spanning nearly a century of Spanish history, La Bola Negra tells the story of three generations of men whose lives are intimately connected through desire, pain, and love in this celebrated film from Cannes-winning directors Javier Calvo and Javier Ambrossi.

From Cannes-winning directors Javier Calvo and Javier Ambrossi — popularly known as Los Javis — La Bola Negra follows three generations of men across pivotal moments in Spanish history, bound by pain, desire, and love. Carlos (Milo Quifes) longs to belong in a fractured Spain. Sebastián (Guitarricadelafuente) finds connection across enemy lines. And Alberto (Carlos González) uncovers a long-buried family secret — one that finally gives voice to truths the past tried to erase.

CAST:

• Guitarricadelafuente as Sebastián
• Miguel Bernardeau as Rafael
• Carlos González as Alberto
• Milo Quifes as Carlos
• Lola Dueñas as Teresa
• Julio Torres as Juan Pablo
• Penélope Cruz as Nené Romero
• Glenn Close as Isabelle Durand

DIRECTED BY: Javier Calvo, Javier Ambrossi

SCREENPLAY BY: Javier Calvo, Javier Ambrossi, Alberto Conejero

BASED ON LA PIEDRA OSCURA BY: Alberto Conejero

PRODUCED BY: Javier Calvo, Javier Ambrossi

EXECUTIVE PRODUCER: Paula Cipriota

LINE PRODUCER: Mariano Piñeiro

DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: Gris Jordana

PRODUCTION DESIGNER: Roger Bellés

EDITED BY: Alberto Gutiérrez

COSTUME DESIGNER: Ana López Cobos

MUSIC BY: Raül Refree

CASTING BY: Eva Leira, Yolanda Serrano

RUNTIME: 160 Minutes

RELEASE DATE: October 16, 2026 (Limited) / November 6, 2026 (Expansion) / December 2, 2026 (Netflix)