Javier Calvo doesn't remember the last time he had a day off. Sitting next to him at a round table at the Netflix studios in Hollywood, Javier Ambrossi admits that they have not gone partying yet, despite the time they have spent in Los Angeles. "There's not even time for a nap," Calvo jokes without losing his smile. The marathon to promote The Black Ball in the United States is being demanding, but neither of them have the shine in their eyes going out. In the background lies the dream of a major milestone: winning more Oscars than any other film in the history of Spanish cinema.
It is an illusion that, far from deflating, is increasingly coming to life. There is no pool in Hollywood that does not give them a good handful of nominations, including best film and the option of unseating the supposed great favorite of the season, The Odyssey, by Christopher Nolan. And although a month has passed since Los Javis began to digest such a frenzy, they do not lose their calm or get carried away by early euphoria.
"The Oscar race for me is an entelechy," Calvo tells EL MUNDO in a meeting with journalists. "It's something that's talked about, but I've never experienced it. So I just stay like that, open to whatever comes, but I don't give it much thought because, I don't know, it's something unknown to me." His task now is more prosaic and involves filling rooms. "It's a film in Spanish and we need people to know about it. When you get someone to see it, they tell the people they want and bring it."
Ambrossi, a 42-year-old from Madrid, completes the diagnosis with the perplexity of a newcomer. "We don't even know how it works. They are rumors, lists, graphics, social networks... Who are these people talking?" A month ago they were still amazed that a film like this would find an audience in the United States. Today there are those who assume that they will do well in the awards season. Ambrossi prefers not to believe it. "I'm learning. When this is over I'll say: this happened, this didn't happen, this was a rumor. I don't want to have too many expectations."
The antidote to vertigo is to remember why they made it. "It's a political film. It's a queer film. It's an artistic film. A film with a purpose and with a lot of historical research," lists Ambrossi. "It's also radical," says Calvo. "It's fun. It's Spanish. It's a tribute to our landscapes, to our food, to our roots, to the accents," continues his partner, who admits the side effect of the promotion. By repeating it, "everything becomes flat."
Of course, both are clear that the Oscar cannot be the goal. "I don't think it's healthy for an author. It's a dream. If it happens, our lives will be incredibly different," says Calvo. "The goal is to see people's faces after the screening, crying, heartbroken, saying: this film has changed me." The rest does not depend on them. "If it happens, it happens. But since I can't control it, I can't make it a goal. What is in my hands is to make a movie."
The reception, so far, is being extraordinary. The Black Ball has grossed three million dollars in the month it has been in theaters in the United States, according to Box Office Mojo. It is already its second most fertile market worldwide, after breaking box office records in Spain. Calvo, a 35-year-old from Murcia, believes that his differential point is the relationship with the public, "growing with them gradually", as well as a way of telling "fresh, pop" stories, such as turning a singer like Guitarricadelafuente into a soldier, sitting him next to Glenn Close, mixing genres. A young audience saturated with the platform quickly detects what is authentic, he continues. Guitarricadelafuente pours into the film his own experience and the newcomer Milo, his own conflicts. "They know that someone has not done this to make money. They are artists putting their hearts there. When something is important to you, it is important to them."
Ambrossi takes it personal. "I grew up thinking there was only one way to be a director," he confesses. "It was difficult for me to connect with that image: the man who is like a rock, without a single doubt." It took him a while to accept that he was a different kind of director, one who believes "in horizontal communication, in saying 'I don't know,' in giving everyone space to create." He also hopes that his example will serve those who come after him. "You don't have to change yourself to be a director. You have a vision and you work toward it." And what distinguishes European queer cinema from American ones? "Because we have smaller budgets, we are freer."
Almost everything has been praise, so much so that they are embarrassed to share the comments of some big names in Hollywood who have approached them to applaud their efforts. "I was the one who told everything in the interviews and I thought I was perhaps revealing private conversations," Ambrossi confesses.
But there has also been criticism. At the table they pass on the comments of those who do not recognize Lorca from the film. Ambrossi claims not to have heard those voices, but he does not disdain them. "I respect all opinions." Calvo responds with the most resounding phrase of the afternoon. "There were a thousand Federicos. Federico is a symbol, today he is bigger than a human being. And we wanted to portray ours." Not so much the physique, "which I think is surprisingly similar," but rather "the soul that we believe he has."
Ambrossi claims the right of fiction to look. "Fiction needs the point of view of a creator. It is not a documentary, it is not a history book. It is a way of speaking to the heart of the public from your point of view. And when it is a point of view, of course it is different from what people expect."
