Cassandro

By: Jamie Steinberg

Absolutely brilliant. If you thought Gael García Bernal was incredible back when he starred in Y tu mamá también, then just wait to see him in Cassandro. A beautifully nuanced role with such heart and positivity, director Roger Ross Williams does an exceptional job at drawing in the viewer that you truly root for Saúl and his alter ego. For those who are wrestling/luchador fans and for those who aren’t, you will equally find yourself impressed by the film Cassandro.

Saúl (Bernal) is an El Paso based OG luchador fan since his father got him hooked on watching the matches as a child. As a gay man, he wrestles himself as “El Topo;” however, his amateur abilities don’t get him noticed or appreciated. Saúl lives with his mother, Yocasta (Perla De La Rosa) who binge smokes, works as a dry cleaner/clothing cleaner and still laments the love of her life – a married man whom she dated as a teen and is Saúl’s father. Not content with anonymity, Saúl befriends a semi well-known female luchador (Roberta Colindrez) as his manager who helps him up his skills. One day while watching a telenovela, Saúl gets the idea for an “exótico” (male wrestlers that incorporate feminine aspects into their personas) character named “Cassandro,” so he begins altering his mother’s clothing from her younger days into his wrestling costumes. Thus starts his illustrious career and success that sends him down a path of turning exóticos wrestlers from heels to heroes.

Williams’ direction (and co-writing) clearly gets the best out of his actors as Bernal, De La Rosa and Colindrez give truly exceptional performances in this film. Viewers are immersed in the ring as Bernal flips and pins opponents like he has been doing this for his whole life! In fact, Bernal is absolutely magic in this role as his Saúl drips with optimism and hope. I truly would not be surprised if Bernal or really any of the stars of this movie are nominated for Oscars for their performances. My one bone of contention with Cassandro comes at the end of the film. I’m not sure why writers David Teague and Williams quickly speed up the events of Saúl’s rise to infamy. One moment we see him wrestling in the biggest match of his career to years after his rise to stardom. It would have been nice to see how this groundbreaking event led to Cassandro becoming a gay wrestling icon.

As someone who grew up watching World Championship Wrestling (“WCW”), this movie was nostalgic for me. However, anyone will truly fall for the film Cassandro. Gael García Bernal gives the performance of his career and absolutely makes you root for this titular character. Open your heart to Cassandro, you won’t regret it.