El Paso-born luchador Cassandro took the Mexican wrestling world by storm in the 1980s as its first openly gay performer, shaking his thing as one of the camp, cross-dressing Mexican wrestlers known as the Exoticos.
Many broken bones later, his retirement was immortalised in Marie Losier’s winning 2019 documentary, Cassandro the Exotico!
It was only a matter of time before the feathered, flamboyant star of Mexican lucha libre found himself at the centre of a narrative feature.
Co-written and directed by Roger Ross Williams — the first African-American to win an Oscar for directing — Cassandro is familiar terrain for the filmmaker, who previously shot the Cassandro-centred 2016 documentary short The Man Without a Mask.
Williams’s fondness for his subject shines through. An impressive cast, including the legendary luchador Son of Santo and rapper Bad Bunny, feel like they are part of a celebration. (The former appears in a sequence that is a model of good allyship.)
The hugely likeable icon is appositely played by the hugely likeable actor Gael Garcia Bernal. Any physical dissimilarities are ameliorated by the Mexican actor’s charm and commitment. Bernal’s moves and stunts are impressive, but his finest scenes are those shared by Cassandro and his beloved mother, Yocosta (Perla De La Rosa), a laundry woman who was tossed aside by her married, Christian lover.
The transformation of ordinary wrestler Saúl Armendáriz into the great Cassandro is partly facilitated by Sabrina (Roberta Colindrez), a trainer and chum who performs under the name Lady Anarquía. The new identity allows the titular luchador to lean into his sexual orientation.
On a visit to the house he hopes to buy for his mother, he announces his intention to replace the swimming pool with a heart-shaped one, just to be “more faggy”. Elsewhere, he puts his foot down with his secret closeted boyfriend, Gerardo (Raúl Castillo).
Cinematographer Matias Penachino opts for a wistful aesthetic, one that complements Bernal’s quieter moments in this irresistible drama.
- Cassandro is released on Friday, September 15th
