The hype for La Bola Negra is no joke.
After already making history as the highest per-screen average for a Spanish film following a debut weekend, the historical gay movie tells the interconnected story of three queer men throughout history.
Created by directors and Out100 honorees Javier Calvo and Javier Ambrossi, the film earned critical acclaim at Cannes with a 20-minute standing ovation and a fierce bidding war for the distribution rights. By portraying three powerful examples of generational trauma, queer persecution, and the persistence of art and memory in Spain, La Bola Negra is quickly generating award-season buzz.
Élite actor Miguel Bernardeau is securing critical acclaim for his role as Rafael Rodríguez Rapún, a character based on the real-life historical figure who served as a mining engineer, Atlético Madrid football player, and actor. As depicted in the film, Rapún was the secretary of the La Barraca theater company and the secret lover of celebrated poet Federico García Lorca.
"It's an intense movie. We had to invest ourselves emotionally a lot and that implies also nudity. You have to show everything! I was very excited to play this character. This is the character I've been wanting to play since I started. It gives you the space and possibility to get in those complicated scenes. I was very stimulated by them," Bernardeau tells Out.
Although his acting skills are earning widespread appeal in the career-defining project, Bernardeau is also causing plenty of discourse online for his full-frontal scenes in the raw film.
In a recent TV appearance on the popular Spanish late-night talk show Al cielo con ella, host Henar Álvarez asked Bernardeau rapid-fire questions about his role in the movie, including if he wore a prosthetic or not.
After asking a couple of preliminary questions, Álvarez then asked Bernardeau, "Were any types of prosthetics used?"
"No," Bernardeau quickly replied as he laughed at the question. He then followed up his initial response by saying, "Wait, wait! No, sorry. Yes, they have been used. I wear many kinds of prosthetics. What do you think? That the wounds are real? Do you seriously think the wounds are real?
"Well played," Álvarez said in response.
The internet is divided over his response. Some believe his initial reaction confirms he didn't use a prosthetic for his full-frontal shot, relying instead on body makeup and wound prosthetics solely for his on-screen injuries.
Javier Calvo and Javier Ambrossi, also known as Los Javis, confirm that themes of sensuality and repression were crucial to not only properly represent the LGBTQ+ community, but to appeal to a mainstream audience as well.
"We wanted to do a movie about desire! You need all of those in order to create the point of view of the character, especially Sebastián. We wanted to create a movie for everyone. I think I'm done with LGBTQ+ stories being niche. They are for everyone and we can prove that," Ambrossi tells Out.
La Bola Negra is currently playing in select theaters and will release on Netflix on December 2. Watch the trailer below!
