As Saúl Armendáriz, a gay wrestler known as the Liberace of lucha libre, Gael García Bernal will win you over.
When we meet the protagonist Saúl Armendáriz , he’s wrestling on the amateur circuit under the name El Topo . In the ring with the much larger El Gigantico, El Topo tries to encourage his opponent to put on a show for the meager crowd, but the bigger man simply goes through the crude paces, exerting his brawn over the scrawny Saúl.
“That guy has no poetry,” Saúl complains afterward. But how can a diminutive performer like himself possibly dominate in this he-man competition? Sure, there are “exoticos”: flamboyant, effeminate male wrestlers who perform in a kind of Greco-Roman drag. But they’re never allowed to win. Can Saúl change this dynamic?
To that end, he teams up with trainer Sabrina to get into better shape. But perhaps more importantly, a telenovela inspires him to develop the persona of Cassandro, an exotico with a couple of differences. For one, he’s unmasked. What’s more: He wins.Bernal shines in his role, bringing out all of Saúl’s vulnerability, especially in his tender relationship with his mother , who runs a laundry service by day — Saúl helps by mending clothes — and turns tricks by night.
That physical comedy is a large part of how Cassandro defeats wrestlers who tower over him, disarming them just by being himself. For instance, when El Gigantico holds him in a waist lock, Cassandro takes those violent hands and runs them over his body. It’s hilarious, and typical of the theatrical flair that draws audiences to all forms of professional wrasslin’.If this sounds like a variation on the Rocky template, it is.
Much like the highly choreographed machinations of a WWE smackdown, “Cassandro” does seem to pull punches. There are whole worlds only hinted at, such as the desperation of a middle-aged mother who has to resort to prostitution. And while the world of lucha libre does look like a seedy business, it also feels whitewashed in this arty production. A final inspirational note falls into the standard biopic tropes.
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