The Black Ball and the old rift in Spanish Civil War cinema

La Bola zaina and the Civil War divide audiences once again

Los Javis, the Spanish directing duo, have made La Bola zaina, a film about the Spanish Civil War that puts one of the most uncomfortable subjects in Spanish cinema back on the table. There is decided rejection from the outset: some people already know they will never set foot in a cinema to see it. Between those who defend it and those who dismiss it without watching it, a conversation unfolds that says less about the film than about the country watching it.

In the opinion of one of the participants, the film mixes technical enthusiasm with script doubts: he highlights brilliant scenes and cinematography that justifies the price of a ticket, but argues that the story works better in the two historical plots than in the contemporary one, which he finds lacking in force and interest. His verdict is a high pass, seven out of ten, and the feeling that it is worth watching, although he questions the plausibility of a certain armed group of the era. So far, so cinematic.

What is criticized about the cast of La Bola zaina?

The cast divides opinion more than the cinematography does. The actor carrying the lead role, according to one participant, is not up to the task: he is criticized for limiting himself to a pained expression for almost the entire runtime. Miguel Bernabéu, on the other hand, comes out stronger, and some even praise the work of a dog in one particular scene. Penélope, Antonio de la Torre and the rest of the lineup are left in a second tier that some find underwhelming: big names for short roles.

The criticism of form does not avoid criticism of substance. Some complain that the protagonist of the contemporary storyline is judged first and foremost on his looks.

Why do some people refuse to watch Spanish Civil War films?

Here the disagreement stops being about cinema. One camp flatly rejects any production about the conflict and says it will not finance it with its ticket money, while another goes further: the mere fact that a film is Spanish is enough to rule it out. One participant argues it is a propaganda product made with public money that rewrites history from the first comma to the last.

On the other side, the argument is more prosaic. The listings are weak, people get bored and audiences end up going to whatever is on. The same camp points out that cinema has already filled theaters with far less ambitious franchises, so, by their reasoning, a full house proves nothing about the content. Others, meanwhile, simply admit they will go see it if there are tickets available.

The tally of films about the Civil War

One participant claims that in the catalogs he finds 195 films about the Spanish Civil War, at a rate of about ten per year. The underlying suspicion is that the release will be read as a cultural plebiscite. A movie ticket does not validate a historical thesis; it only says that there was nothing better on that night or that the cast looked promising. Los Javis, meanwhile, have achieved the hardest part: getting people to talk about their film, even among those who have decided not to see it.

What if the problem is not the film, but the exhaustion of always arguing about the same thing?