Cassandro

Gael García Bernal steals hearts as the charismatic Cassandro in this feel-good biopic about a wrestler that triumphs in the macho world of Lucha Libre while embracing his true self.

When Saúl Armendáriz (Gael García Bernal) starts competing in the macho world of Mexican Lucha Libre wrestling, he’s always cast as the runt. After he meets Sabrina (Roberta Colindrez), Saúl gains not only a professional trainer but also a friend who helps him create a new character in the ring. Together they debut ‘Cassandro,’ a radical subversion of Lucha Libre’s stereotypical role known as the Exótico. Flamboyant and powerful, Cassandro turns lucha on its head. But Cassandro also upends Saúl’s own life, throwing into tumult his relationships with his mother Yocasta, his secret lover Gerardo, and his absent father Eduardo.

Oscar-winning director Roger Ross Williams nimbly maneuvers past the clichés in this respectful biopic of the openly gay Mexican wrestler who won over fans of a notoriously homophobic sport.

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