Cassandro (English/Spanish)

I suspected this while watching the film, but it was not until the film ended that I was sure the film was based on the true story of Saúl Armendáriz, who became known as the “Liberace of Lucha Libre”, this is a giddily entertaining and celebratory drama that hints at the emotional bruises under the sparkly lurex leotard and false lashes. For the uninitiated This is Mexican wrestling 'Lucia libre' and 'Exóticos' are male wrestlers dressed in drag portraying gay caricatures. But n this case Saul was gay. In the hierarchy of the luchaverse, they were treated like something between a gimmick and a target. And they never, ever won, battings were about to change.

We meet Saúl Armendáriz, as aspiring luchador who lives in El Paso, Texas, he’s been wrestling on the semi-pro circuit for a while. Saúl’s sexuality is an open secret among his peers, who mock him on and offstage and despite him playing the macho wrestler he still gets abuses hurled at because he is gay. He lives with is mother who single handedly brought him up and sh his his fan, friend, critic; everything rolled into one. Saul has had enough and he comes up with an idea. What if, instead of the masked villain that everyone expects, he shows up as Cassandro — an out-and-proud exotico that will out-peacock, outwit, and out-wrestle any and all opponents. He’ll reinvent himself and adhere to every cliché that the archetype demands, bait every homophobe and be called every horrible name. Except this time, it’s going to be different. Cassandro will leave the ring as the champion. He meets Sabrina, a trainer who will help him get better. The film takes us through the journey of this real life luchador, his wrestling matches, the forbidden love story with a married man and most importantly the most cherished relationship that he shares with his mother. Cassandro’s fighting style is acrobatic and jubilant with theatrical amorousness. He’s so wiry and fast that opponents don’t know what’s hit them. And then there are times he is brutally pinned to the mat. But he is all up for it and with the help of an ambitious and sleazy promoter, he lands a high-profile Mexico City match that could make or break his career. His opponent is the silver-masked El Hijo del Santo (playing himself), who’s part of a lucha libre dynasty—and who must not, under any circumstances, be beaten. (Finale is just awesome).

Us, movie fans, must have all seen some film with the actor Gael García Bernal playing the title role here. He is nothing short of magnificent in playing the role of Saul with such heart and love that it's impossible not to love him despite few obvious shortcomings and challenges that the film has. The pleasure of Cassandro lies in watching Saúl learning to fill up every corner of his identity, as a gay man, as a performer and athlete, as a person who is always just yearning for more. To watch Cassandro bounce around that ring, sometimes kissing his opponents full on the mouth and drawing back with a grin, or miming sexual acts with the faux innocence of an ingenue, is to see a person reveling in the gifts he’s been given. He is marvelous, while he is ambitious, a loving son, but he also has dark side with drugs and a love that with another luchador Gerardo that will never be fulfilled. Gerardo is a married family man intent on protecting his hetero facade. Their furtive trysts are playful and erotically athletic, but it dawns on Saúl that Gerardo doesn’t want him to grow out of his assigned role.He is grief-stricken when his mother dies suddenly, and he struggles to reconcile his feelings for his estranged, disapproving father. He is no angel. 

I was not aware of the world of lucha libre and having seen this film has definitely educated me in more than one way. The film is a bot longhand maybe the conflicts that arise here get resolved way too quickly. But the film is so much more than that. Biopics will never be successful enough to incorporate every even that has happened in protagonists life, but the director here tries his best to show it all. Saul can win and no longer be the butt of jokes. Even if he doesn’t win, Cassandro gives the audience quite a show—so much that they cheer for him instead of the masked hero he’s fighting. As part of the next generation of entertainers, Cassandro was unafraid to embrace his identity as part of his performance, setting the stage for future artists to do the same, as shown in a beautiful last scene when a young boy thanks Cassandro for helping him be himself. I Strongly recommend to watch this film. It's not a typical gay love story, but a biopic of an out a proud luchador, who lived on his own terms and eventually became an inspiration for many. (8/10)