La Bola Negra (aka The Black Ball) is generating Oscar buzz – might it be the one to swoop in and steal the Best Picture crown from frontrunner The Odyssey? It certainly seems that way. Its directors Javier Ambrossi and Javier Calvo (known as ‘the Javis’ in Spain) won the Best Director award at Cannes 2026 (along with Paweł Pawlikowski for Fatherland), and it recently picked up the London Film Festival’s Audience Award for Best Feature Film.

To be fair, forbidden love, the Spanish Civil War, homophobic persecution and cameos from Penelope Cruz and Glenn Close – this is essentially the blueprint for Academy Award success.

But that’s not to say La Bola Negra is Oscar bait.

The movie interweaves three connected stories and timelines that explore queer male identity in Spain across generations. In 1932 Carlos (Milos Quifes) is blackballed from an exclusive casino on account of whispers concerning his sexuality. In 1937, earnest musician Sebastián (played by musician Guitarricadelafuente) is a reluctant Nationalist soldier charged with guarding wounded enemy soldiers at a hospital. And in 2017 we follow Alberto (Carlos González), a writer who inherits a mysterious bequest from his late grandfather.

Each storyline is captivating in its own way but it’s safe to say that Sebastián’s tale is both the most interesting and the emotional core of the movie. Catching reverse Stockholm Syndrome, Sebastián falls in love with the Republican prisoner-of-war that he’s guarding, the distractingly handsome Rafael (Miguel Bernardeau) whose decision to share secrets with Sebastián sets in motion much of the intertwined plot.

There’s a lot to love about La Bola Negra. The plot itself is intriguing, though perhaps one that would benefit from reading the Spanish Civil War crib sheet beforehand if you’re less familiar, and the performances from all the leading actors are excellent. Guitarricadelafuente portrays Sebastián’s vulnerabilities exceptionally well and Miguel Bernardeau could have gotten away with simply flexing and brooding in his underwear but chose to elevate his performance with a warmth and sincerity that stole every scene he was in. And the always-wonderful Penelope Cruz has a fantastically camp and playful cameo that could probably sneak her a Best Supporting Actress nomination.

One of the supporting themes of La Bola Negra is music and both the score and the soundtrack embrace this theme effectively. From traditional flamenco-style performances to the standout La Nieve (performed by Guitarricadelafuente), music underscores much of the film’s most defining and emotional moments.

It’s also a beauty to look at. The opening scenes set in 1937, look like a beautifully restored piece of 50s cinema and even the segments set in 2017 – complete with Grindr and lines of coke – showcase Spain’s natural, rugged beauty in a completely natural, non-stylised way. Admittedly, some of the imagery is a little heavy handed. When Sebastián is forced to escape an enemy onslaught he climbs over a destroyed statue of St Sebastian, everyone’s favourite homoerotic saint.

With the three storylines and with a hefty 160-minute run time, nobody can be accused of glossing over things. That said, there’s certainly scope for some editing. As beautiful as the cinematography is, there are plenty of opportunities to trim down the runtime without compromising plot or character progression. How many times do we need to cut to the Nationalist soldiers frolicking about on their downtime? And – controversial opinion alert – dare I say we could cut much of Carlos’ scenes without impacting the story at all?

Despite feeling overly long, La Bola Negra is a wonderful piece of cinema presented with genuine love and care. Though it can stray into expositional territory at times, the performances, music and cinematography elevate it into the big leagues – how it fares come Oscar season remains to be seen but I highly doubt anybody will be blackballing this movie.

La Bola Negra is in UK cinemas 6 November.