I’ve been a fan of professional wrestling since I was 8. It’s hard not to be enthralled by the glitz and glamour of the business. To this day, pro wrestling has been on my weekly rotation; whether it be WWE or AEW, there’s never a moment where I am outside of the action.

With pro wrestling in the U.S. currently at its most profitable, fans need to be aware of how other cultures view wrestling. In Mexico, Lucha Libre is as sacred as any other sport. With iconic Mexican stars like Rey Mysterio Jr. and Eddie Guerrero making a name for themselves in the U.S., it’s hard not to think that all wrestlers are treated with the same level of praise in Mexico.

Unfortunately, that is not the case. In Lucha Libre, queer performers, or exoticos, are there to be humiliated, always to do the job with little to no praise. That was until our protagonist Saúl Armendáriz (Gael García Bernal) came along and changed the game for Lucha Libre.

This is on full display in Cassandro, a film where it’s hard for the audience not to be enthralled by. Bernal’s charisma is infectious as he shines through this story of comfort and self-acceptance.

Director/writer Roger Ross Williams and his co-writer David Teague capture Saúl’s journey with respect and confidence. Throughout the film, the duo’s screenplay treats viewers to Saúl’s witty humor, dedication, and refusal to remain masked as El Topo, which ultimately feeds his desire to be himself and transform into an unmasked Cassandro.

Williams and Teague put Lucha Libre on full display in this film. It’s hard for those not into pro wrestling not to be impressed with the athleticism on display and the scripted matches and storytelling.

While most of the screenplay impresses, it does fail in showing the resentment and discourse Saúl would encounter on his meteoric rise to fame. While minimal aspects of his struggles are sprinkled throughout, the film remains light-hearted, which leaves elements of the film inauthentic.

Despite the bump in its screenplay, it does not remove the tremendous performance by Gael García Bernal. Along with bringing depth and charm to Cassandro, Bernal’s take is rich with heart as cinephiles are also treated to a meaningful look at a relationship between mother and son. Perla De La Rosa, as his mother, goes toe to toe with Bernal and is delightful. 

While Cassandro does not cover all of Armendáriz’s life, the film is still satisfying enough to warrant a celebration of an icon in not just pro wrestling but in embracing and showing one’s true self to the world.