REVIEW | ‘La Bola Negra’

The film that won ‘Best Director’ at this year’s Cannes Film Festival (for co-directors Javier Ambrossi and Javier Calvo) is a generation-spanning tale of war, queer love and the connecting power of art. Since its debut in May, “La Bola Negra” has been tapped as one of the year’s top Oscar contenders. It’s a challenging task for a movie to sustain such overwhelming buzz from debut through an entire awards cycle, but the praise has been constant for “La Bola Negra,” which some prognosticators believe could challenge a victory lap for Christopher Nolan and “The Odyssey” at the upcoming Oscars. There’s plenty to admire in “La Bola Negra,” which will speak to those who vote for shiny trophies at the end of the year, but the movie may keep some at arm’s length. As the movie opens, trumpet player Sebastián (Spanish singer-songwriter Guitarricadelafuente) witnesses the murder of his family by the Italian army.

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