La Bola Negra now has a detailed release schedule. The Spanish drama opens in New York City and Los Angeles on October 16, adds more cities over the following weeks, and reaches Netflix on December 2 in the United States and Canada. If you want to see it in a theater, the October 16 date is only the start of a larger rollout, not the date every city gets it.
Netflix says the film will add San Francisco and Toronto on October 23. It expands to 17 markets on October 30, including Chicago, Dallas, Atlanta, Boston, Miami and Vancouver. More than 70 markets are planned for November 6. Some theaters will show it on 35mm film, including the Angelika Film Center and Paris Theater in New York during the opening weekend. Listings can change, so check a local theater before making plans.
What is the film about?
Directors Javier Calvo and Javier Ambrossi tell stories set in 1932, 1937 and 2017. Carlos, played by Milo Quifes, is trying to find his place in Spain. Sebastián, played by the singer Guitarricadelafuente, makes a connection across enemy lines during the Civil War. Years later, Alberto, played by Carlos González, uncovers a family secret. The three stories are linked, but the filmmakers have not turned the movie into a simple historical lesson.
The movie takes its name from an unfinished work by Federico García Lorca. Calvo and Ambrossi wrote it with Alberto Conejero, drawing on Lorca's work and Conejero's play La piedra oscura. The film is about people who could not always speak openly about who they loved. Its different periods show how the pressures around them changed over time.
Who's who in La Bola Negra?
- CarlosPlayed by Milo Quifes
- SebastiánPlayed by Guitarricadelafuente
- AlbertoPlayed by Carlos González
- Nené RomeroPlayed by Penélope Cruz
- IsabellePlayed by Glenn Close
Who is in the cast?
Alongside Quifes, Guitarricadelafuente and González, Miguel Bernardeau plays Rafael Rodríguez Rapún. Lola Dueñas and Julio Torres are also in the cast. Penélope Cruz plays Nené Romero and Glenn Close plays Isabelle in special appearances. The newly released stills show both intimate moments and much larger scenes, including a soldier playing trumpet and Cruz surrounded by soldiers.
La Bola Negra recently won the Toronto International Film Festival's People’s Choice Award. Following that award, Netflix has laid out a theatrical run lasting several weeks. It also means viewers who prefer a cinema have more than one chance to catch it before the streaming date.
When can you watch it at home?
Netflix has confirmed December 2 for the US and Canada. That is a future streaming date; the movie is not on Netflix yet. The service has not given the same date for every country, so viewers outside those two markets should check their regional listing. The film begins its theatrical run October 16, with the wider opening continuing into November. Those are the dates to use if you are deciding whether to wait for Netflix or look for a 35mm screening near you.
