Gael García Bernal transformed into an iconic gay amateur wrestler, luchador Saúl Armendáriz, for “Cassandro,” based on Armendáriz’s legacy as the “Liberace of Lucha Libre.”
“Cassandro” follows Armendáriz as he upends not just the macho wrestling world but also his own life. The film is based on a true story, with “Life, Animated” Oscar winner Roger Ross Williams directing from a script he co-wrote with David Teague. The real-life Armendáriz served as a consultant on the film.
In addition to Bernal, Roberta Colindrez, Perla de la Rosa, Joaquín Cosío, and Raúl Castillo also star, with with special appearances from El Hijo del Santo and Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio.
Director Williams previously collaborated with Armendáriz for 2016 Prime Video documentary short “The Man Without a Mask.” Williams was inspired to fictionalize Armendáriz’s story to showcase the dichotomy of macho Mexican culture along with Armendáriz’s fandom.
“All of these macho guys were embracing him backstage,” Williams told IndieWire. “I was like, ‘Wait a minute!’ He gained their respect because of his skill and talent. Here was this proud, openly gay man and nobody saw it as an issue. How did he get to this place, in this culture, to break through like that? I started crying.”
“Cassandro” premiered at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival, where Carlos Aguilar’s IndieWire review applauded García Bernal’s “magnetism” onscreen.
“‘Cassandro’ balances the triumphant exaltation of Arbendáriz’s singular evolution as a trailblazer who didn’t set out to become one, with the obvious, still not entirely eliminated bigotry that made his trajectory so significant and groundbreaking in the first place,” the review reads. “The social and the personal come together every time he performs. In every agile move, a graceful blow against hatred.”
“Cassandro” is produced by Gerardo Gatica, Todd Black, David Bloomfield, Ted Hope, and Julie Goldman, with lead star Bernal, Paula Amor, Mariana Rodríguez Cabarga, A. Müffelmann, Matías Penachino, David Teague, Jason Blumenthal, and Steve Tisch as executive producers.
“Cassandro” premieres in select theaters September 15 and will be available to stream on Amazon Prime Video September 22. Check out the trailer below.
