In the the motion picture “Cassandro,” Gael Garcia Bernal performs the true-life North american country Western wrestler just who concerned global popularity from the following brand new persona of your own flamboyant Cassandro, new Liberace out of lucha libre. It will be the story away from an effective queer man which chooses to problem a manly and you may homophobic program owing to sheer showmanship plus so undertaking, steadily brings in the new esteem from their other wrestlers and wins more than the new minds and you may brains of his watchers. I’m Glen Weldon, and after this we’re these are “Cassandro” for the Pop music People Pleased Hour off NPR.
WELDON: Howdy. And and come up with their Pop Society Pleased Hour first are Isabella Gomez Sarmiento. This woman is a manufacturer on NPR’s community desk while the Publication Off The afternoon podcast. Thank you for visiting the fresh new inform you, Isabella.
Under the guidance off his wrestling advisor, Sabrina, starred of the Roberta Colindrez, the guy decides to button up his wrestling persona in order to become a keen exotico, a sounding lucha libre wrestlers that are coded radite Brazilac mladenke since gay and which ergo, generally treat within the humiliating indicates, far on pleasure out of homophobic crowds of people
WELDON: Let’s get started. “Cassandro” try good biopic throughout the legendary North american country American wrestler Saul Armendariz, starred of the Gael Garcia Bernal. Since an early on people inside El Paso, the guy crosses this new border to go into inexperienced lucha libre bouts, no matter if his diminutive dimensions setting they are constantly shed once the loser. Saul swipes particular skintight, animal designs out of their enjoying mom, starred because of the Perla De- La Rosa, and helps to create Cassandro, exactly who gains bouts courtesy athleticism and you will showmanship and easily will get a great experience. This complicates his strained connection with their faraway dad and his wonders relationship with the newest closeted and you may married Gerardo, starred of the Raul Castillo.
Every thing explanations Saul and find out the newest edges so you can himself you to definitely ensure it is him to face the difficulties one to glory provides. “Cassandro” was created from the documentary filmmaker Roger Ross Williams. It’s 1st scripted element motion picture, and you can Williams co-typed the screenplay which have David Teague. “Cassandro” was streaming today to your Finest Clips, and we also is always to keep in mind that Amazon supports NPR and you may pays to distribute the the posts. Isabella, that it flick, one of the most significant some thing it should do was type off promote people a beneficial primer on which lucha libre is when they don’t know it. Exactly how familiar have been your with this specific community, and you will what did you consider the film?
I imagined it had been a very fascinating depiction of that community and of, such as, the new paradoxes you to definitely Cassandro occupied for the reason that space because a great gay person
SARMIENTO: Therefore I have seen lucha libre reside in Mexico City twice. I do not envision I have had probably the most real feel. I believe We have attended, such, the most basic, extremely accessible guests destination to notice it. Yeah.
SARMIENTO: But there are plenty of regional fans. I have for ages been very amazed by the theatrics from it. It feels very distinctive from the fresh football one I have grown seeing are now living in the latest U.S. and also in Venezuela. And that i really liked the movie.
CRUZ: We – and so i enjoy wrestling. I really like lucha libre. But Perhaps the fresh Americanized variation you find to the unpopular, Western grappling offers.
CRUZ: But I really enjoy it. I favor everything you I have seen of it, and i appreciated the movie. I had never ever heard of Cassandro in advance of enjoying it flick. The film was my very first introduction in order to your once the a person and your since the a beneficial wrestler, and i extremely appreciated Bernal’s portrayal off Cassandro both in and you can from ring. They thought extremely lived in, really slice out-of lives you might say which is in direct evaluate, I believe, for the more than-the-most readily useful crisis and you may theatrics away from lucha libre. And i also believed that did wonders. A couple of mental sounds don’t extremely hit for my situation, however, I think that’s, for example, because it is actually presented from inside the a slice from life format, and so i cannot most, for example, become frustrated, you understand?