Miguel Bernardeau on Playing Rafael Rodríguez Rapún in Los Javis's 'La bola negra'

Los Javis's decades-spanning film 'La bola negra' interweaves three queer narratives shaped by the Spanish Civil War: a 1932 social club exclusion (Milo Quifes), a 1937 romance between a reluctant soldier and his prisoner, and a 2017 academic (Carlos González) reckoning with both histories. The middle section draws on the secret relationship between poet Federico García Lorca, played by musician Guitarricadelafuente, and Rafael Rodríguez Rapún, a mining engineer and Atlético de Madrid player portrayed by Miguel Bernardeau. Bernardeau prepared using Ian Gibson's 'Lorca y el mundo gay,' Lorca's 'Sonetos del amor oscuro,' 'La casa de Bernarda Alba,' 'Yerma' and 'Bodas de sangre,' plus research on Rapún's role as chauffeur, secretary and occasional performer with Lorca's touring theater company La Barraca. The Valencia-born actor, son of television actor Ana Duato, previously appeared in 'Élite,' '1899' and Amazon Prime's 2024 'Zorro.' The film took the People's Choice Award at the Toronto International Film Festival, a 16-minute standing ovation and Best Director honors for Los Javis at Cannes, and opens in select U.S. cinemas ahead of its Dec. 2 Netflix release. Bernardeau described the shoot as the most serious and professional set he has worked on, noting a crew that included many women and queer people.