Penelope Cruz says message mattered more than screen time in 'The Black Ball'

‌Penelope ​Cruz wanted to be in Cannes Film Festival entry "The Black Ball" no matter how small the role because she felt the ambitious gay epic about Spanish history could have an important impact on younger people, she said ‌on Friday. "My decisions aren't based on how many minutes my character will be on screen; it's about being part of something, wanting to be part of something that matters to you," the Oscar-winning Spanish actor told journalists after the premiere the night before.

"Films can't change the world, but in some cases they can help ‌make things better," she said, especially for young people. "What you experience can sometimes have a greater impact when you're sitting in a cinema ‌for two and a half hours ... than anything you might study over three years at school."

HEALTH SCARE Cruz, who along with Glenn Close is the only cast member with name recognition outside Spain, has a brief cameo as a wartime entertainer named Nene in the 155-minute movie.

She recalled facing a health scare shortly before she was supposed to perform her song ⁠and dance, ​after her doctor told her she may ⁠have a brain aneurysm. Cruz was cleared to shoot the scene but did not tell the directors until the next day. "For me, that moment - I know that when I ⁠die as an old woman - will be one of the moments I'll remember as the most surreal of my whole life: being up on that tank thinking I ​had an aneurysm, which in the end turned out to be a false alarm."

THREE INTERTWINING TIMELINES The new film from Javier Ambrossi and ⁠Javier Calvo, affectionately nicknamed Los Javis, features three story lines that revolve around Spanish poet and playwright Federico Garcia Lorca, homosexuality and the Spanish Civil War.

Discussions about Lorca, one of the most ⁠influential figures ​of 20th-century Spanish literature, barely included the influence of his sexuality, recalled Ambrossi. "If you hide the aspect of sexuality and simply portray Federico as a poet without explaining any further - you're robbing us (the gay community) of a role model," he said.

Through the wartime setting, the directors also wanted ⁠to show the importance of dialogue and empathy as the only means of avoiding violence. "A lack of communication leads to violence," said Ambrossi. "I hope the ⁠film serves that purpose, to be ⁠a window of empathy and to see the other person for the human being they are."

"The Black Ball", one of 22 films competing for the festival's top prize, was mostly well-received by critics, with The Hollywood Reporter calling ‌it a major ‌standout while Variety described it as "an ambitious but distended drama".

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