Cassandro

I watched some footage of the actual Cassandro after we finished the movie, and it showed just how tame and bloodless this movie was. Why was Gael locked into this one bad haircut when Cassandro had great, grand hair?

This tameness also brings the storytelling down to a very banal level; the love story, the career rise-nothing felt like it had any real stakes. Only the relationship between Saúl and his mother raised this by-the-numbers biopic above the snooze-level.

I'm glad to have learned of this fascinating world of Lucha Libre and this interesting corner of queer culture, the Exoticas, but it could have been so much more fun.

Fantastic movie. Have not related to my culture like that in a long time. Refreshing. Emotional. Beautiful. Tears. Laughter. All around superb film. I am just trying to get enough characters. THIS MOVIE IS AMAZING IF YOU LIKE GAEL. His performance feels very authentic and heartfelt. Easy to see his connection to the culture. Displays a wonderful relationship between a mother and her lgbtq+ son. We need more movies like this. Family is at the core of most cultures but especially here as well as acceptance. Beautiful display of love, loss, friendship, and making peace with not needing a father to become a man.

An Amazon Prime original from last year starring Gael Garcia Bernal about the real-life luchador, Saul Armendariz aka Cassandro. Frustrated where he's at now in the wrestling game, openly gay Bernal formulates a plan to become an exotico (a wrestler in drag as it were) to up his game w/hopes to changing the tune of the establishment's rules of having exoticos always being the heavy in bouts even utilizing a known trainer, Roberta Colindrez, to hone his skills. At first reluctant to break tradition, a promoter seeing the turning of the tide from the audience decides to take the plunge & let Cassandro win which sends him on his way. On the home front all Bernal wants is to provide a home for his mother, Perla De La Rosa, & have his down low relationship w/his lover, Raul Castillo, to be out in the open even though he's married & has children. Coming to a crossroads when Bernal has to face off against El Hijo de Santo (who plays himself humorously complete w/mask) in his biggest match, we wonder if the vaulted underdog will do the right thing by the legend or let his headwind of victories go to his head? Bernal owns the screen here w/his winning performance of a figure who could've gone the tragic route but manages to overcome his status to do things his way w/more than a modicum of dignity w/a well supported cast, which includes Joaquin Cosio (he played baddies in Quantum of Solace & the James Gunn directed Suicide Squad) playing a promoter w/singer Bad Bunny himself playing his right hand man, lending a solid support to the proceedings.

Greetings again from the darkness. One of the possible indicators that a movie is well done and interesting is when it draws you in despite having no similarities to the world you live in. I was transfixed by this film from writer-director Roger Ross Williams (Oscar winner for MUSIC BY PRUDENCE, 2009 short) and co-writer David Teague. I am not Hispanic, have no affinity for wrestling, am not gay, and don't wear makeup or do drugs or crave attention ... all part of Saul's life in this terrific little film.

The always outstanding Gael Garcia Bernal gives a top-notch performance as Saul Armendáriz who transforms into the titular Cassandro, an Exotico luchrador in the colorful world of Lucha libre (Mexican wrestling). Tradition says Exoticos take a beating in the ring while being subjected to the rowdy crowd's homophobic slurs screamed at maximum vocal volume. But Saul, who took his performance name Cassandro from a soap opera, has a vision where he body slams tradition, and periodically wins matches while simultaneously winning over the crowd.

Saul and his mother (Perla De La Rosa) have a tight bond, one developed after Saul's dad left home rather than accept his son who had come out as gay. We watch as Saul's skill and notoriety improve thanks to his trainer Sabrina (Roberta Colindrez) and promoter Lorenzo (Joaquin Cosio). In this world, unique relationships develop, and we see Saul with both fellow wrestler Gerardo (Raul Castillo) and Lorenzo's right-hand man Felipe (Bad Bunny). Ever-present is the cloud of 'daddy issues' that Saul carries, and we do wonder if the situation with his religious and closed-minded father (Robert Salas) will be resolved.

There is an odd cadence to the story's progression, and a few times it feels like the script skips through some important moments, while dwelling on some lesser scenes. Examples of this include Cassandro's climb to fame and an awkward talk show appearance where he is treated as a role model by a gay youngster. Still, the performance from Gael Garcia Bernal is so strong and charming ... his face truly lights up while in the ring ... that we can imagine on our own how he climbed the ladder of Lucha libre, as he instills in us the message of being who you are and staying true to yourself. All of this is complemented by a terrific score from Brazilian composer Marcelo Zarvos, who excels in the use of the trumpet here.

Opening in theaters on September 15, 2023 and on Prime Video beginning September 22.

Gael García Bernal is great in this entertaining biopic of the eponymous wrestler who rose from Texan oblivion and poverty to international acclaim. We learn fairly early on that he and his mother "Jocasta" (Perla De La Rosa) get by after his father abandoned them by working loads of different jobs and by him taking on the role of an "exotico" - a sort of "glamour" wrestler - in a makeshift garage where his job is to camp things up and then get beaten by a guy twice his size. Aside from the fact that it hurts, he decides that he wants a new home for him and his mum, and that he also has the skill to take things a bit further professionally. Together with his new-found, kick-ass, trainer "Sabrina" (Roberta Colindrez) he decides to create the new character of "Cassandro" to become the first of his creed to actually win! What now ensues is quite a messy film, technically - the editing and continuity are not very good, but the sheer charisma of the star as he portrays this openly gay man in a world that offers him little but hostility is frequently quite amusing and engaging to watch. There's a little bit of (complicated) love interest for him, too, but essentially it's Bernal hamming it up, Liberace style, in the ring where he is adept and pinning down (not an euphemism) gents far more substantial than himself. Like stories of boxing in general, it's illustrative of just how few opportunities there are for those trapped in a cycle of poverty to escape the mundanity of their lives - especially when their sexuality doesn't exactly conform either; and it also demonstrates well just how a community thrives on and values these makeshift, almost bare-knuckle, events. I knew nothing at all about the "Lucha Libre" culture so that proved quite an eye-opener too - particularly when reconciled with a strong but not overwhelming gay storyline. Maybe it doesn't need to be seen in a cinema, but I did enjoy it and it's well worth a watch.