Cassandro (2023)

Gael García Bernal is great in this entertaining biopic of the eponymous wrestler who rose from Texan oblivion and poverty to international acclaim. We learn fairly early on that he and his mother "Jocasta" (Perla De La Rosa) get by after his father abandoned them by working loads of different jobs and by him taking on the role of an "exotico" - a sort of "glamour" wrestler - in a makeshift garage where his job is to camp things up and then get beaten by a guy twice his size. Aside from the fact that it hurts, he decides that he wants a new home for him and his mum, and that he also has the skill to take things a bit further professionally. Together with his new-found, kick-ass, trainer "Sabrina" (Roberta Colindrez) he decides to create the new character of "Cassandro" to become the first of his creed to actually win! What now ensues is quite a messy film, technically - the editing and continuity are not very good, but the sheer charisma of the star as he portrays this openly gay man in a world that offers him little but hostility is frequently quite amusing and engaging to watch. There's a little bit of (complicated) love interest for him, too, but essentially it's Bernal hamming it up, Liberace style, in the ring where he is adept and pinning down (not an euphemism) gents far more substantial than himself. Like stories of boxing in general, it's illustrative of just how few opportunities there are for those trapped in a cycle of poverty to escape the mundanity of their lives - especially when their sexuality doesn't exactly conform either; and it also demonstrates well just how a community thrives on and values these makeshift, almost bare-knuckle, events. I knew nothing at all about the "Lucha Libre" culture so that proved quite an eye-opener too - particularly when reconciled with a strong but not overwhelming gay storyline. Maybe it doesn't need to be seen in a cinema, but I did enjoy it and it's well worth a watch.