Guitarricadelafuente makes his first film appearance in La Bola Negra, the Spanish drama from directors Javier Calvo and Javier Ambrossi. He plays Sebastián, a soldier who guards a wounded prisoner during the Spanish Civil War. The new Netflix trailer puts his performance and his original song “La Nieve” at the center of the film’s 1937 story.
The directors did not choose him because he had a long list of acting credits. In a new interview published by Netflix, Calvo said they were already fans of his music and believed his live performances showed he could tell a story on screen. Calvo recalled calling him about the part; the singer was interested but unsure how to act.
Why did the directors cast him?
Calvo and Ambrossi wanted him to play Sebastián opposite Miguel Bernardeau’s Rafael. Sebastián is a soldier on the fascist side of the Civil War; Rafael is the wounded man under his guard. Their relationship is one of three connected stories in the film. Another takes place in 1932 and follows Carlos, while a third follows Alberto in 2017.
The film draws on Alberto Conejero’s play La piedra oscura and an unfinished manuscript by Federico García Lorca. Ambrossi said he and Calvo returned to Conejero’s play with a film in mind, then decided to tell it through three different periods. That structure gives Sebastián’s story a place in a much longer history.
What is the song “La Nieve” doing in the film?
Guitarricadelafuente wrote original music for La Bola Negra, including “La Nieve,” the song heard in the latest trailer. Netflix asked him about writing it. He said he did not want the music to explain a scene to viewers; he wanted it to fit what the characters were feeling.
“I wanted it to come from the same emotional place as the characters.” — Guitarricadelafuente
That is a specific link between his two jobs on the film: he is acting in Sebastián’s scenes and contributing music made for the same story. He is not simply a musician with a cameo or a song playing over an unrelated movie. The official trailer lets viewers see him in the role and hear the track.
Who else is in La Bola Negra?
Milo Quifes plays Carlos, whose story begins in 1932, and Carlos González plays Alberto, who investigates a family secret in 2017. Penélope Cruz, Glenn Close and Lola Dueñas are also in the cast. The three timelines connect, but the trailer and interviews leave the full connections for the film to reveal.
The actors in Sebastián’s story
La Bola Negra opened in Spanish cinemas on September 25. Netflix says it will begin a limited U.S. theatrical run in New York and Los Angeles on October 16, expand to other U.S. and Canadian cities, and reach Netflix in the U.S. on December 2. No earlier U.S. streaming date has been announced.
