Cassandro – Review
107 Minutes, Rated R
Written by David Teague & Roger Ross Williams
Directed by Roger Ross Williams
**NOTE: this post may be updated with audio once we actually have the chance to talk about it. Until then, you can read Mark’s review below. Remember, though, you can listen to all our discussions of this and every other movie directly over on ACAST. Stay tuned.**
Synopsis:
Saúl Armendáriz, a gay amateur wrestler from El Paso, rises to international stardom after he creates the character ‘Cassandro,’ the “Liberace of Lucha Libre.” In the process, he upends not just the macho wrestling world, but also his own life. Based on a true story.
When last I saw Gael García Bernal, he was portraying a damned werewolf in the Marvel Special Event on Disney+, Werewolf By Night.
Which leads me into a blindingly obvious seque or transformation with Cassandro.
**Normal disclaimers of “based on a true story” apply here; we’ve made it abundantly clear how we feel about those.**
However, understanding that the broad strokes of the actual Saúl Armendáriz’ life and career as the “Liberace of Lucha Libre” are true, we can roll into a cinematic discussion of Cassandro.
Wow.
Is this movie good.
Bernal is fantastic, sinking into the pathos of Saul’s daily life in El Paso while bringing to life his enthusiasm for the sport he so clearly loves: Lucha.
While narratively Lucha is clearly on par with the “American” wrestling we’re all so familiar with, culturally, Lucha is probably somewhere closer to NASCAR racing in the southern US than anything (though with less outcome manipulation, lol).
People are brand loyal and enthusiastic. “Good guys” always win, and when they don’t it’s a travesty, a crime against the sport.
Bernal also makes Saul’s struggle with his identity, both as the bastard son of a man who will not claim him and a gay man whose sexuality pushes him farther from the possibility of that relationship, truly palpable.
We feel his rage at the withholding of love by his father. We feel the adoration he has for his mother, regardless of her own personal shortcomings. We feel his rage at the Lucha system which relegates people like him to the role of “exoticos,” designed to be mocked and defeated at every turn, a clear response of the innate cultural machismo of Mexico.
It’s a testament to the power of his performance, one Amazon clearly values enough to give a theatrical release to in ensure it isn’t forgotten come awards season time.
The film is shot incredibly well, with the wrestling scenes showing both the true physicality of the Luchas and the clear manipulation of the event and its outcome through both planning and slight of hand execution.
The supporting cast helps elevate the material, as well, with Perla De La Rosa as Saul’s mother (and everyone’s mother, lol), Roberta Colindrez as Sabrina, a Lucha and trainer who sees Saul’s talent and how creating an Exotico persona could be to his advantage (both personally and professionally), and Raul Castillo as a fellow Lucha and closeted lover of Saul.
The ebbs and flows of Cassandro are well worth the ride.
Cassandro is now in limited theatrical release, with full release on Amazon Prime video on September 22, and stars Gael García Bernal, Roberta Colindrez, Perla De La Rosa, Joaquín Cosío, and Raúl Castillo with special appearances from El Hijo del Santo and Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio.
And remember, if the BEST thing you can say about a movie is that it’s “visually stunning,” then they’ve done something wrong.
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