Cassandro Rating
Cassandro
Escape Artists, Panorama Global
Amazon Studios
Running time
107 minutes
Release date
In Theaters September 15; Streaming Globally On Prime Video September 22
My Rating
6/10
#whatonwhatsgood Fan Club Rating
50%
Description
Saúl Armendáriz (Gael García Bernal), a gay amateur wrestler from El Paso, rises to international stardom after he creates the character ‘Cassandro,’ the “Liberace of Lucha Libre.” In the process, he upends not just the macho wrestling world, but also his own life. Based on a true story. Directed by Academy Award® winner Roger Ross Williams.
Starring
Gael García Bernal as Saúl Armendáriz / Cassandro
Roberta Colindrez as Sabrina
Perla De La Rosa as Yocasta
Joaquín Cosío as Lorenzo
Raúl Castillo as Gerardo / El Comandante
El Hijo del Santo as himself
Bad Bunny as Felipe
Roger Ross Williams
Produced By
Gerardo Gatica, Todd Black, David Bloomfield, Ted Hope, Julie Goldman
Executive Produced By
Gael García Bernal, Paula Amor, Mariana Rodríguez Cabarga, A. Müffelmann, Matías Penachino, David Teague, Jason Blumenthal, Steve Tisch
Written by
Roger Ross Williams and David Teague
Cinematography
Matias Penachino
Edited by
Yibran Asuad, Affonso Gonçalves and Sabine Hoffman
Music by
Marcelo Zarvos
DIRECTOR’S STATEMENT — Roger Ross Williams
This journey started five years ago, when I met Cassandro because I directed a documentary
about him, The Man Without a Mask, for The New Yorker series on Prime Video. I didn’t know much
about Mexican Lucha Libre, as is likely the case for most people from the U.S. With my crew, I flew
down to El Paso, Texas, and met Cassandro. From the first day, I was just blown away by his inner
spirit and joy. He has an aura, a light; he is filled with this positivity and has struggled so much, and I
was very moved.
That night in El Paso, we went to a tequila bar after shooting, and I told them, “this is my
first fiction film.” Also, from the beginning as we were writing the script, I thought only one person
could play Cassandro, and that was Gael García Bernal.
I know every production has obstacles, but we had significant challenges to overcome –
from COVID to 100-degree shoot days – and we thought this project was dead many times. It’s a
miracle we got here, but when it comes to stories that deserve to be shared with the widest possible
audience, Cassandro’s is among the most worthy.
Building the script was a long and interesting process I went through with David Teague. As
a documentarian, I wanted to stay true to the real Cassandro, and his story was so complex,
complicated, and fascinating, with so many twists and turns that we had to pare it down. The story
had everything in it, including, of course, the crazy world of Lucha Libre. Cassandro went through
rejection for so many years and had this sort of need to prove himself to the world. He has
something to prove to everyone. And he loses everything and realizes that it’s serving a bigger
purpose of being inspiring to young gay kids, giving him much more satisfaction and much more
purpose in life than serving himself. We made it a very profoundly personal emotional story.
True to the spirit of Saúl, a larger than life Mexican-American icon, this film wouldn’t have
been possible without all of our collaborators on both sides of the border, who generously brought
their own experiences, insights and perspectives to this incredibly rich story. That partnership helped
make this a truly universal story – one that I think people will identify with it because no one feels
like they’re on top of the world and they’re the best. Many of us feel like outsiders, and everyone has
experienced rejection, alienation, and loneliness… that Cassandro has also experienced.
I want audiences to go on a journey where they will laugh and, hopefully, cry. It’s like an
emotional rollercoaster, from joy to sadness. It will be a fun ride because of Mexican Lucha
Libre’s very entertaining, colorful world.
I want Cassandro to be a fantastic experience for international audiences to discover this
world and its complexity through this absolutely fascinating character.
I’m truly excited for everyone to see it.
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