Justin Chang, the Pulitzer-winning critic for The New Yorker, has delivered a scathing verdict on La bola negra, declaring it “not a monument, it’s a failure.” The review stands in stark contrast to the film’s overwhelming international acclaim, creating one of the most significant critical divides of the awards season.
The film, directed by Javier Calvo and Javier Ambrossi, has been a juggernaut at the Spanish box office, surpassing 5.5 million viewers in just six weeks to become the third highest-grossing Spanish film of all time. The film outperformed major international releases like Spider-Man: Brand New Day and Christopher Nolan’s La Odisea during its theatrical run. However, this domestic triumph is now being viewed through a very different lens following the publication of Chang’s piece.
A Monumental Takedown from a Pulitzer Voice
Chang’s review, titled “The Insistent Monumentality of La bola negra,” is a comprehensive dismantling of the film’s ambition. He argues that the movie, structured around three stories set in 1932, 1937, and 2017, suffers from a clear “lack of substance” despite its grand aspirations. He defines the film as an “excessively overloaded epic,” and that its intertwined narratives about homosexual repression and liberation become “more simplistic than clarifying.”
The core of Chang’s critique lies in his assessment of the filmmakers’ approach. He believes that Calvo and Ambrossi remain “clinging to a rigid narrative and thematic scheme” that ultimately imposes itself on the characters, dialogue, and action. “They intend to erect a lasting cinematic monument; instead, they have created a work that insists, arrogantly and aggressively, on its own monumentalism,” Chang writes. He further characterizes the directors as “old-school romantics, sensitive to the provocative emotion of the forbidden, and therefore skeptical of the modern era and its excessive conveniences.”
Critical Clash over Film's Success
- The New Yorker‘s Justin Chang calls La bola negra “not a monument, it’s a failure,” a verdict that clashes with its high critical score on Rotten Tomatoes.
- The film’s Spanish box office success is undeniable, with over 5.5 million viewers making it the third highest-grossing Spanish film ever.
- Despite the negative review, the film’s cast, including Penélope Cruz and Glenn Close, receives praise from the critic.
A Tale of Two Critical Realities
The divide between Chang’s perspective and the general critical consensus is staggering. As it stands, La bola negra boasts a positive rating of 87% from critics and a 97% score from verified audiences on Rotten Tomatoes. In the United States, the film’s reception has been warm, with theaters showing the film since its October 16 release being full, and influential publications like Variety having dedicated cover stories to the filmmakers.
This positive momentum was further solidified when Calvo and Ambrossi were honored with the ‘Visionary Director Award’ at the Miami Film Festival on November 4. The film is also being tipped for a potential dozen Oscar nominations, highlighting the high stakes of this critical debate.
| Metric | La bola negra | Spider-Man: Brand New Day | The Odyssey (Nolan) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rotten Tomatoes Critics Score | 87% | N/A | N/A |
| Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score | 97% | N/A | N/A |
The Cast Shines Through the Structural Critique
Even in his harsh assessment, Chang finds moments of praise, singling out specific performances. He describes Miguel Bernardeau as “intensely charismatic” in his role as Rafael, a man who is physically frail but spiritually strong. Bernardeau is the only male actor in the film to receive such praise from the critic.
Chang’s warmest words are reserved for the film’s female leads. He hails Penélope Cruz as “a wonderful, shameless, and provocative” force, particularly noting her ability to shift from commanding the stage to complaining about her menstrual cycle in a single minute. Glenn Close, he argues, “manages to rise above the most tedious dialogue in the script.” The apex of his praise is reserved for Lola Dueñas, whose performance he describes as leaving “the weaknesses of the film’s structure exposed.” He writes that her portrayal of a mother, “as far as possible from any image of sainthood,” gives voice to “a seething and inconsolable fury, a pure and fierce assertion of will that lays bare the artifice of the film’s poetic and structural resources.”
Industry Implications and the Awards Season Chess Game
While La bola negra is a massive theatrical success, its distribution in the U.S. has been noted as part of the film’s international presence.
Justin Chang, crítico de cine de The New Yorker y ganador del Pulitzer, ha calificado la película de Javier Calvo y Javier Ambrossi como un fracaso.
