Cassandro Movie Review: A biopic that needed more focus and heart

Prime Video's latest, Cassandro, chronicles the life of Saúl Armendáriz, a gay wrestler who competes in Lucha Libre, a form of professional wrestling originating from Mexico. Raised by a supportive single mother, Saúl, who wrestles as El Topo, transforms into a drag-wrestling persona, Cassandro, at the insistence of his trainer, Sabrina. The film documents Saúl's fearless journey as Cassandro, both inside and outside of the wrestling ring.

Director: Roger Ross Williams

Cast: Gael García Bernal, Roberta Colindrez ,Perla De La Rosa, Raúl Castillo

Language: Spanish

Streamer: Netflix

In an early scene in Cassandro, we see a wrestling ring, and the ring announcer introduces a wrestler as one who "draws strength from the flutter of butterflies". Then enters a well-built wrestler in his white wrestling singlet with painted red lips and red and white flowers in the tied hair. Saúl Armendáriz (a fantastic Gael García Bernal) witnesses it along with the audience whooping homophobic slurs. It lays the seeds of the narrative that depicts the story of thriving insanity amid conditioned sanity. It is a film that is clearly impactful on paper, but provides varying results.

Despite hitting the highs expected out of a biopic with this premise, Cassandro falls short of delivering a strong emotional impact. For instance, when Saúl squares off with El Hijo del Santo, one of the legendary wrestlers in Lucha libre, there are reverberating cheers. While we should have been immersed at that moment that is the crescendo in Saul's journey from being the "runt" El Topo to becoming a celebrated queer icon, Cassandro, there is a sense of detachment from the film. The writing leaves us rather impassive about it all instead of making us root for the underdog.  

Even though Saul's in-ring life doesn't hit the right kicks and punches, his personal life is showcased with sublime nuances of love and acceptance. The film showcases various shades of love without judging its characters, and this is where Cassandro really soars. Saúl's father, who is already married and has children, leaves when he can no longer accept his son's queer identity due to his religious beliefs. However, Saúl's mother supports her son and stands by his side. But at night, she drives to see her husband from afar, sitting in the car weeping beside her son. The film offers a nuanced depiction of unconditional love. In Saul's equation with his romantic interest, Gerardo (Raúl Castillo), a married man, the film traces the melancholy in unrequited love.

Unlike Bohemian Rhapsody or  Rocketman, Cassandro offers a more profound purpose for queer individuals beyond their sexuality. Despite its flaws, the movie challenges social divides and desires a world that can find strength in even the smallest things, like the flutter of a butterfly.