{"id":27110,"date":"2023-09-22T03:04:52","date_gmt":"2023-09-22T10:04:52","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.cinemastance.com\/?p=27110"},"modified":"2023-09-22T03:04:52","modified_gmt":"2023-09-22T10:04:52","slug":"cassandro-is-a-surprise-winner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/?p=27110","title":{"rendered":"CASSANDRO Is a Surprise Winner"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Running Time: 107 minutes<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This feature from Amazon Studios is currently in limited\nrelease at theaters. It will be available to stream September 22nd<\/sup>\non Amazon Prime.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Most kids find themselves being introduced to wrestling on\nthe TV, taking in the over-the-top spectacle and showmanship. Frankly, plenty\nof them continue following these characters into adulthood. One of the most\npopular leagues in the world is located in Mexico and known as Lucha Libre,\nwith the most famous wrestler being El Santo or The Saint. But there have been\nother notable luchadors who have made their mark. The new film Cassandro<\/em>\ntells the real story of one such person who overcame personal and professional\nobstacles to make his dreams come true.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Sa\u00fal Armend\u00e1riz (Gael Garca Bernal), is a gay man living\nwith his single mother (Perla De La Rosa) in El Paso, Texas and struggling to\nmake ends meet. He works the amateur wrestling circuit in Ju\u00e1rez, Mexico, but\nisn\u2019t treated well by fellow competitors. Tired of losing every match and\nfrustrated at the lack of attention given to him, Armend\u00e1riz convinces\nsuccessful trainer and female wrestler Sabrina (Roberta Colindrez) to coach\nhim. His skills improve and it is suggested that he create a new \u201cexotico\u201d\npersonality for the ring. The protagonist initially refuses but soon comes\naround to the idea, creating the character \u201cCassandro\u201d and using telenovela\ncostumes to inspire his look. He instantly becomes popular, attracting the\nattention of local promoter Lorenzo (Joaquin Cosio) and his assistant Felipe\n(Bad Bunny). But Armend\u00e1riz\u2019s newfound success causes stress with his mother\nand friction in his relationship with closeted fellow wrestler Gerardo aka \u201cEl\nComandante\u201d (Ra\u00fal Castillo).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Despite being the tale of an aspiring wrestler who uses a flamboyant public persona to accomplish his goal, the movie still manages to keep its lead character relatable. Gael Garcia Bernal makes a very engaging impression as Armend\u00e1riz. The character is treated poorly by those around him and serves as a real underdog. Despite many difficulties thrown his way, he generally keeps smiling and turning on the charm to get ahead. A lot of the fun comes in seeing Armend\u00e1riz build his character and embrace his role as a heel in the ring. Horrible insults and slurs are consistently thrown his way, but one can see the joy in the wrestler\u2019s face, not only knowing that he is finally making a lasting impression on crowds, but also winning over some of them with his exaggerated routine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Of course, we do see insecurities as Armend\u00e1riz faces\nthreatening opponents who can potentially hurt him, as well as personal\nstruggles that include a deeply religious father who wants nothing to do with\nhim. Some of these moments are effective, but a few aren\u2019t as moving. The\nlongshot story itself is still about as familiar as it gets and certain\nelements ultimately feel predictable. And the movie does try to show the\neffects of personal trauma on the lead\u2019s psyche during a big moment in the ring\nin front of a large crowd, but it\u2019s dealt with too briefly. Still, the work of\nthe star and supporting performers are compelling enough to cover for any\ntropes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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This feature also marks the narrative debut of documentarian\nRoger Ross Williams, who previously made a non-fiction short on the wrestler\nand seems an expert choice in handling this biopic. While the director\u2019s\ndocumentary background might lead one to anticipate a gritty, grimy look for\nthe film, it is surprisingly polished and beautifully lit. Many of the arena\nbackdrops, bars, clubs and even strolls outdoors at sunset feature bright\ncolors that are vibrant, pop and make an impression.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Despite a few familiar moments, this outsider story is\nconfidently told and features a wonderful cast. It certainly manages to keep\none\u2019s attention throughout the zippy running time. Even Lucha Libre fans will\nbe impressed by a significant supporting role for real-life wrestler The Son of\nEl Santo. But in the end, you don\u2019t have to be a wrestling enthusiast to find Cassandro<\/em>\nan enjoyable and inspirational biopic.  <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Running Time: 107 minutes This feature from Amazon Studios is currently in limited release at theaters. It will be available to stream September 22nd on Amazon Prime. Most kids find themselves being introduced to wrestling on the TV, taking in the over-the-top spectacle and showmanship. Frankly, plenty of them continue following these characters into adulthood. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":27114,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[213,1181,1182,2199,2789,3978,6251,8051,12317,12751,13734,15926,16673,17204,24514],"class_list":["post-27110","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-movie-reviews","tag-213","tag-amazon-prime","tag-amazon-studios","tag-bad-bunny","tag-biopic","tag-cassandro","tag-drama","tag-gael-garca-bernal","tag-lgbtq","tag-lucha-libre","tag-mexican-wrestling","tag-perla-de-la-rosa","tag-raul-castillo","tag-roberta-colindrez","tag-wrestling"],"blocksy_meta":{"styles_descriptor":{"styles":{"desktop":"","tablet":"","mobile":""},"google_fonts":[],"version":8}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27110","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=27110"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27110\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=27110"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=27110"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=27110"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}