Netflix puts whole La Bola Negra ensemble in supporting Oscars races
Netflix is putting its entire leading ensemble from La Bola Negra forward in the supporting acting races, with no one campaigned as a lead.
The plan was exclusively reported by The Hollywood Reporter. It covers all seven principal players. That is an unusual call for a film with this level of awards ambition.
On the actors' side, Guitarricadelafuente will be campaigned in supporting actor, alongside Miguel Bernardeau, Carlos González and Milo Quifes. On the actresses' side, Penélope Cruz, Lola Dueñas and Glenn Close will all be campaigned in supporting actress. Supporting, in awards language, means the prizes for performers who are not the central figure of the story.
The reason given is balance. No individual stands clearly above the others on screen time and centrality to the plot, so the studio behind the film has opted against naming a lead.
The film is a Spanish-language drama from creators Javier Ambrossi and Javier Calvo, which Netflix acquired out of Cannes in May. It interweaves the stories of three gay men across decades, according to festival coverage.
It already has momentum. Spain has selected it as its official entry for the best international feature Oscar, the Academy Award category where each country puts forward one film, and it won the audience award at the Toronto Film Festival.
Netflix is also giving it an unusually full cinema release. The film will play exclusively in theatres for 47 days from Oct. 16, the longest exclusive theatrical window — the period a film plays only in cinemas before streaming — in Netflix history. The company will also publicly report its box office takings, which it has never done for any other release, according to the same report.
There is a music thread too. The film's song "La Nieve" has entered the best original song Oscar race, as reported by The Hollywood Reporter. Guitarricadelafuente, a singer making his acting debut in the film, is a co-writer. If he were nominated for both acting and songwriting for the same film, he would become only the fifth person to do so.
The cast came together over time. Glenn Close joined Cruz in the project when it was still known in English as The Black Ball. Cruz has a busy season overall, with three films in the awards conversation including La Bola Negra, according to Variety.
What makes this stand out for viewers is simple. There will be no single face of the film on the ballot. Fans following the race will see four men competing with each other in one category, and three women competing with each other in another.
