“La Bola Negra” soundtrack, featuring music by composer Raül Refree, is set to be released on Oct. 16 by Lakeshore Records.
Taking its name from an unfinished play by Lorca and drawing on his writings and legacy, “La Bola Negra” is directed by Javier Calvo and Javier Ambrossi better known as Los Javis. It stars Guitarricadelafuente, Miguel Bernardeau, Carlos González, Milo Quifes, Lola Dueñas, Penélope Cruz and Glenn Close. It spans three generations and pivotal moments in Spanish history. In 1932, Carlos (Quifes) longs to belong in a fractured Spain. In 1937, Sebastián (Guitarricadelafuente) finds connection across enemy lines. And in 2017, Alberto (González) uncovers a long-buried family secret that gives voice to truths the past tried to erase.
When scoring Netflix’s “La Bola Negra,” Refree knew he wanted to pursue a timeless, orchestral and avant-garde sound.
It’s an intense score that grows along with the film and with the different protagonists as their stories unfold.
Refree, who is one of Variety’s 10 artisans to watch, tied his instrumentation to the characters rather than the eras. “Sebastián (Guitarricadelafuente) plays the trumpet, so his scenes rely heavily on the brass section. Carlos (Milo Quifes) plays the piano, so his music features the piano alongside the string section. Finally, Alberto’s (González) story takes place in the present day, and because he is going through a personal crisis, his music relies much more on silence,” Refree says.
As the film progresses and the paths of the three protagonists cross in one way or another, the timbres and instrumental approach also begin to blend. “Mira que nos acechan” is where all the concepts come together, carrying the meaning that we are all one.
Listen to the first of two cues from the film’s score, exclusive to Variety, below.
“En España Empieza a Amanecer”
This scene begins abruptly with a hard cut and marks a crucial moment towards the end of the film. Refree says, “I wanted the music to have a strong impact, with the brass section playing severely loud, and in sharply cut clusters that intensify the shock of this unexpected turn of events.”
It’s a scene where the prisoners are forced out of their rooms, taken to their cells, and are later executed. “I imagined this procession of frightened prisoners and violent soldiers through a rhythmic pattern played by the strings – loud, aggressive pizzicatos. I thought the wood creaking quality of the strings created a sense of unease, almost as if the music itself were giving voice to the prisoners’ fear as they are led to their deaths. At the same time, I used electronic sounds, almost like a distorted form of tinnitus, to convey the disorientation the prisoners experience after being abruptly woken up.”
The final melody is a minuet that Sebastián plays on the trumpet earlier in the film. Refree says, “It is a childlike piece that, for me, becomes the central theme of the score – a reflection of the fear and fragility of the film’s characters.”
“Enfermería”
“This was one of the first pieces I composed for the film, and it remains one of my favourites. This is the scene where Sebastián first sees Rafael. It begins with a relaxed, beautiful musical landscape led by the horns, evoking a sense of everyday life and daylight in a military hospital during wartime. The staccato trumpets add a touch of understated, almost casual heroism, as if suggesting the ordinary routines of soldiers living through extraordinary circumstances.”
As the scene unfolds, however, the music begins to empty out, giving way to darker, lower melodic textures. “The bass trombone gradually takes the lead, and the intensity builds as Sebastián becomes increasingly overwhelmed by the sight of this beautiful, and injured body,” he says. “Musically, everything grows wilder and more dissonant, reflecting his inability to control what he is feeling. His attention drifts towards intimate details – the bare armpit, the small hollow at the base of Rafael’s neck – and the music follows him into this increasingly private, almost obsessive fascination. What begins as a beautiful, peaceful morning at the front gradually transforms into an intense, almost concealed intimate desire for which Sebastián has no control.”
The film opens in New York City and Los Angeles on Oct. 16 before expanding to additional theaters across the United States and Canada. Select theaters will present it in 35mm. “La Bola Negra” will debut on Netflix in the United States and Canada on Dec. 2.
