Gael García Bernal soars portraying famous gay exótico in new biopic 'Cassandro'

I’ll be the first person to admit that I don’t know much about lucha libre. But Roger Ross Williams’ new biopic of famous luchador Saúl Armendáriz is open and welcoming in more ways than one. In his narrative directorial debut, Williams plays up the heart of Armendáriz’s story, which allows newcomers to Mexican wrestling to feel like they also grew up watching this exótico rise to fame.

"Cassandro" tells the tale of gay wrestler Saúl Armendáriz — aka Cassandro — from his humble beginnings to his Hall of Fame status. Gael García Bernal encapsulates the luchador in both the performances in the ring and in the more personal moments, ensuring both sides of Armendáriz’s legacy are remembered.

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What is the plot of ‘Cassandro’?

Saúl Armendáriz (Gael García Bernal) is a struggling luchador living in El Paso, Texas with his mother (Perla De La Rosa) in the early 1980s.

He crosses over the border to Mexico often to wrestle under the stage name El Topo, but his aspirations of greatness aren’t his reality. He watches other people fight as exóticos, feminized wrestlers performing in drag and putting on a campy-type show.

Most exóticos are straight men playing up feminine clichés being hurled gay slurs as they wrestle, but Armendáriz himself is gay.

Armendáriz does not want to succumb to these stereotypes or draw attention to his sexuality by wrestling as an exótico. That is, until he gets a new trainer named Sabrina (Roberta Colindrez), who notes that being an exótico could bring him the success he’s striving for. Armendáriz agrees under one condition: This time the exótico will win.

Sabrina trains Armendáriz harder in order to make him strong enough to finally start winning in a great sports-movie montage. When it comes time for a name, Armendáriz draws inspiration from a telenovela he and his mother watch together and arrives on Cassandro. His debut outfit is a cutout cheetah print leotard in honor of his mother’s Chihuahuan style when he was a kid.

His ability to put on a performance in the ring, draw the crowd in and actually win over the straight-laced luchadors garners him attention from a well-connected manager, Lorenzo (Joaquín Cosío), who promises him great success. Armendáriz continues to shine in the ring while balancing a secret life with his married lover (Raúl Castillo), a drug problem fueled by Lorenzo’s assistant Felipe (Bad Bunny) and fluctuating finances.

García Bernal treats the title character with care and respect

As García Bernal’s titular character notes at one point in the movie, the “libre” portion of “lucha libre” is what drives him: freedom. His execution of the flamboyant wrestler moves so fluidly, almost looking more like dance at times than fighting. As lucha libre fans in the movie fall in love with him, García Bernal makes sure that the audience does, too.

It’s easy to get sucked into the tender story outside of the ring as well. Armendáriz’s life as a gay man in a time and place that is less than accepting hits the heartstrings without ever feeling manipulative. A bathtub scene shared between him and his lover in the second half of the film can be translated into any relationship where one person is more afraid to love than the other. As a straight man portraying a famous gay athlete, García Bernal handles these scenes with care and respect.

Director Williams, known for being not only a celebrated documentarian but the first African American director to win an Academy Award, takes a shot at narrative storytelling. With a stacked movie year, it’s not likely that this will win him his second Oscar, but it’s possible "Cassandro" will be a door for Williams and García Bernal to return to the big show this spring as nominees.

'Cassandro' 4 stars

Great ★★★★★ Good ★★★★

Fair ★★★ Bad ★★ Bomb ★

Director: Roger Ross Williams.

Cast: Gael García Bernal, Roberta Colindrez, Joaquín Cosío, Raúl Castillo, Bad Bunny.

Rating: R for language, drug use and sexual content.

How to watch: In theaters Sept.15th, on Amazon Prime September 22nd

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: 'Cassandro' review: a showcase of athleticism and sexuality