‘Cassandro:’ A Tale of Love, Loss, and Acceptance

For Saúl Armendáriz, it was just another night at Ray’s Auto Shop, which was being temporarily transformed into a lucha libre ring. The fighters assembled in the back as they got ready for their fights, some wearing a mask while others glammed themselves up. Saúl set a picture of his mother— who would not be there —upon the vanity, as if her spirit would cheer him on silently. It would be an exquisite show of two luchadores dueling to ensure victory, one tumbling from the glory of the other. It would be another night of applause and jeers. As the show commenced, Saúl’s heart began to race as the announcer called out his stage name. The crowd chanted for his defeat, and once his back hit the floor, the loss was secured. 

Cassandro (2023) is a biographical drama depicting the rise of Saúl Armendáriz, an amateur wrestler, to international stardom after he created the “exotico” character “Cassandro.” The film touches on Saúl uprooting not only the world of macho wrestling but also his personal relationships. Cassandro stars Gael García Bernal as Saúl, who brought the charismatic character to the big screen, and features an array of talented actors and actresses. The tale of the American-born Mexican luchador was filled with moving, spellbinding performances as director Roger Ross Williams, who co-wrote the screenplay with David Teague, has outdone himself once again with a new masterpiece. 

His love of lucha libre stemmed from his father. They watched several fights together, and when he was a child, he dreamed of becoming a professional luchador. After integrating and establishing himself in the sport, he became known as a masked wrestler, “El Topo,” the Mole, and was the runt of the group of luchadores at small local matches, always leaving the ring defeated by his opponents. In the presence of bigger, more muscular men, he was doomed to be their punching bag. When he first met Sabrina (Roberta Colindrez), who would later become his personal trainer, his journey truly began. After an exhausting workout, she suggested he adopt an exotico, a luchador who fights in drag, portraying gay caricatures, to change his identity from his present luchador persona, but Saúl rejected this. Exoticos were never allowed to win. It was a definite and unspoken rule. Saúl aspired to win, and modifying his luchador persona to an exotico persona would never let him do so. 

But at some point, his perspective changed, and his mind changed. Through inspiration came the character “Cassandro.” The only difference between “Cassandro” and other exoticos is that “Cassandro” wins; at least its intended purpose is to win. “Cassandro’s” first appearance in the ring was against a luchador with the name “Gigantico.” “Cassandro’s” flamboyant stage presence entranced the crowd, inspiring laughter and joy. As the fight came to a close, “Cassandro” suffered his first loss but was the highlight of the fight. Saúl fell in love with lucha libre all over again. It revealed an unseen side of himself that he had no idea needed to be unveiled.

As the popularity of the “Cassandro” character grew, it garnered the attention of a motivated promoter, Lorenzo (Joaquín Cosío). With the help of Lorenzo, Saúl was exposed to more opportunities than he thought were attainable and was given the chance to win fights. Although his career was going well, his personal life suffered. Saúl’s personal relationships are one of the focal points of the film, focusing on his relationships with his mother, his father, his lover, and even his persona. Each is dealt with to varying degrees and is profoundly impacted by his meteoric rise to stardom. But the outcomes contrast with one another. The film skillfully allows each relationship to be explored in the 107-minute run time. 

The relationship between Saúl and his mother, Yocasta (Perla De La Rosa), is a complex one. Initially, she gives off the impression that she fully supports his sexuality, to the point where she brings up the question of when he was going to secure himself a boyfriend. It appears that she is accepting of his sexuality, and perhaps she is, to some extent. Underneath the surface lies a problem: an invisible animosity towards his sexuality that she holds responsible for the absence of her lover, Saúl’s father. She blames his sexuality for driving him away from them. While she accepts her son for who he is, she prefers Saúl to keep it quiet from his father. 

Saúl and his married boyfriend Gerardo (Raúl Castillo Jr.) are affected the most by Saúl’s rise to fame. Gerardo is a closeted man with a wife and children; therefore, their relationship is kept secret from the world and hidden from prying eyes. Throughout their time together, Saúl brings up “Cassandro,” speaking as if the character is a separate being and questioning if he would be more dominant in bed. Gerardo is shown to be uncomfortable by the sudden comment. Gerardo repeated demonstrates that he wants to be around Saúl, not “Cassandro”, furthering the tension in their relationship. Saúl created “Cassandro” as the epitome of who he wanted to be, and Gerardo just wanted Saúl to be himself. The more “Cassandro” grew in popularity, the more Saúl and Gerardo’s relationship suffered. Gerardo desired their relationship to stay the same, but Saúl wanted something more, and this difference left their relationship in ruins. 

Throughout the film, the audience is told that Saúl’s father, Eduardo (Robert Salas) stopped visiting his family. It is insinuated that this occurred because Saúl came out to him. He is said to be a religious man, hence why he abandoned his family. Saúl attempts to reconnect with Eduardo near the end of the film, after he made a name for himself. Their heart-to-heart chatter was stirringly harrowing. It is hauntingly quiet as the two break the ice. Saúl learns his father did not follow the beginnings of his career and comes to terms with the fact that everything he has accomplished was without his father standing by his side, encouraging and supporting him. His father was nowhere to be found, and sitting across from him was a man he did not need anymore and would never need again. Saúl gained a closure he didn’t know he needed. 

The audience is left wanting more as the credits roll, almost as if the film is unfinished. Perhaps Roger Ross Williams and David Teague may have wanted to portray life’s realities or immerse the viewer in a nearly unsatisfying conclusion. The time gap leaves unanswered questions in Saúl’s personal life, an aspect highly emphasized throughout the course of his journey, only to be left untouched and overruled by his established stardom. It is possible that this was the film’s intended outcome—left in obscurity and wonder. 

In the riveting and emotionally charged biographical drama Cassandro, audiences are taken on an emotional rollercoaster of unraveled relationships and personal struggles. The film does a brilliant job at encompassing the relationships Saúl has and how they changed over time as he rose to stardom. Gael García Bernal’s captivating performance brings depth and authenticity to Saúl Armendáriz and the character “Cassandro.” It delves into the intricate layers of acceptance, loss, and love. Each interaction is laced with raw honesty and vulnerability.