“La Bola Negra,” a sprawling epic from Spanish directors Javier Calvo and Javier Ambrossi, known collectively as Los Javis, offers a multi-generational exploration of gay male desire set against the backdrop of Spain’s tumultuous history. The film weaves together three storylines spanning from 1932 to 2017, examining themes of legacy, identity, and the evolution of societal acceptance.

The narrative begins in 1937 during the Spanish Civil War in a small rural village anticipating the arrival of Italian allies, only to be met with violence. A young trumpet player, Sebastián, portrayed by singer-songwriter Guitarricadelafuente in his acting debut, is conscripted into the fascist forces. The second storyline shifts back to 1932, centering on Carlos, played by Milo Quifes, who struggles to gain acceptance into an exclusive men’s club amid suspicions about his sexuality. The final timeline is set in 2017, focusing on Alberto (Carlos González), a failed playwright turned historian, who unexpectedly inherits documents from a grandfather he never knew.

All three threads converge around the figure of Federico García Lorca, the renowned gay poet and playwright who was killed at the onset of the Spanish Civil War. The film imagines the circumstances surrounding Lorca’s unfinished play “La Bola Negra” and uses it as a symbolic link connecting the characters across different eras.

As Alberto delves into the historic papers left by his grandfather, the once disparate storylines gain coherence, revealing a continuous thread of personal and cultural history. The narrative’s fluid transitions between time periods are a defining aspect of the film’s storytelling, highlighted by moments such as the modern Grindr app notification, which cleverly connects past and present.

The film also features notable appearances by Penélope Cruz as a wartime cabaret singer and Glenn Close as an American literary historian who recognizes the significance of Alberto’s discovery. Julio Torres provides a vibrant presence in his role as Alberto’s boyfriend. Behind the camera, the work of cinematographer Gris Jordana, production designer Roger Bellés, and costume designer Ana López Cobos contributes to the film’s bold and distinctive visual style.

While “La Bola Negra” received a prolonged ovation at the Cannes Film Festival and won the directing prize for Los Javis, some critics note that certain evocative visual sequences—particularly those featuring soldiers—function more as standalone images rather than integral parts of the narrative. Nonetheless, the film’s 2½-hour runtime maintains a surprising momentum, balancing intimate character moments with broader historical context.

Selected as Spain’s submission for the Academy Awards, the film is backed by Netflix for an extended theatrical release. It seeks to illuminate how history can act as both a cycle and an evolving journey toward greater understanding of identity and human connection. Through its interwoven stories, “La Bola Negra” reflects on the endurance of desire amid adversity and the ongoing dialogue between past and present.