Gael García Bernal dreams of becoming a famous luchador (aka wrestler) in the trailer for Prime Video’s Cassandro, based on a true story.
Bernal’s Saúl Armendáriz is a gay amateur wrestler from El Paso, Texas, who makes it to international stardom when he creates a character named Cassandro, also known as the “Liberace of Lucha Libre.” Early in the trailer, viewers see Saúl struggling with the idea of becoming an exótico, a person who fights in drag, before he fully embraces the style.
The more-than-two-minute look at the movie, set against Celia Cruz’s “Yo Viviré,” shows Saúl’s interest in lucha libre began as a child when his father took him to a few matches. Since he began fighting two years prior, Bernal’s character is always labeled the “runt” of the match. “They don’t see nothing else,” he says.
When asked if he’s ever considered being an “exótico,” Bernal’s Saúl replies, noting that “they don’t let exóticos win. I wanna flip it.”
The trailer further sees Saúl go on to push boundaries, make people uncomfortable (“I don’t care that he bats for the other team, but why does he have to rub it in our faces?” someone asks in Spanish), and achieve international superstardom. In the process, he not only upends the macho wrestling world but also his own life, according to the logline.
Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio (aka Bad Bunny), Roberta Colindrez, Perla de la Rosa, Joaquín Cosío and Raúl Castillo round out the cast of the biopic.
Cassandro hits theaters Sept. 15 and will premiere on Prime Video Sept. 22.