Anyone who has eagerly followed since his breakthrough roles in 鈥淎mores Perros鈥� and 鈥淵 tu mam谩 tambi茅n鈥� likely never foresaw him one day in the world of lucha libra wrestling.
Bernal, far from the most brawny actor, has been a slyer shape-shifter, whether in heels as a femme fatale in Pedro Almodovar's 鈥淏ad Education鈥� or on a motorcycle as Che Guevara in Walter Salles' 鈥淢otorcycle Diaries.鈥�
But while almost anything with Bernal in it has been worth seeing, it's been a little while 鈥� maybe his pair of movies with Pablo Larrain, 2012's 鈥淣o鈥� and 2016's 鈥淣eruda" 鈥� since Bernal had a sufficiently good part to, well, really go to the mat for.
He's found it, though, in Roger Ross Williams' based-on-a-true-story drama about the Mexican wrestler Sa煤l Armend谩riz. He was an ex贸tico in 1990s lucha libra wrestling who rose to become one of the sport's most popular champions.
Ex贸ticos, who first emerged in the 1940s, evolved to be male fighters dressed in drag who served as a contrast to the macho main events. But Armend谩riz, a gay man, wanted his character, Cassandro, to be more than that. He wanted to spar with luchadores on equal ground.
鈥淐补蝉蝉补苍诲谤辞,鈥� which opens in limited theaters Friday and debuts Sept. 22 on Amazon Prime Video, follows Armend谩riz' rise from scrawny outsider to center stage. The odds are always against him, but Bernal plays Armend谩riz with an infectious innocence, even when he's doing lines in the bathroom. Most of all, his transformation of the ex贸tico into something more than is prescribed by luchador tradition makes for a stirring metaphor of gay empowerment.
Armend谩riz, after struggling to catch on as the wrestler El Topo, is convinced by his trainer (Roberta Colindrez) to jump into the ring as an ex贸tico. Armend谩riz, though, has no interest in playing Cassandro as he's supposed to. For starters, he wants to win, and ex贸ticos were intended to to be fey, flamboyant victims for the hulking luchadores to easily dispatch.
They were also masked, but Armend谩riz chooses to go without 鈥� an especially bold move considering the withering waves of homophobia directed at him by many in the crowd. But Armend谩riz wins them over, and in doing so, achieves something spectacular, turning a gay stereotype into a hero. 鈥淚 felt like Wonder Woman,鈥� the real Armend谩riz once said.
鈥淐补蝉蝉补苍诲谤辞,鈥� which co-stars Bad Bunny, doesn't always make time for some of the inner pain that Armend谩riz was experiencing. (He dealt with depression and drug addiction.) And the filmmaking by Williams, in the narrative debut for the longtime documentarian, can be muddled. The story is so sensational that you almost wish 鈥淐assandro鈥� was instead a feature-length documentary. (Williams first made a fine short about Armend谩riz for the New Yorker in )
Yet 鈥淐assandro鈥� will surely bring many more to Armend谩riz's remarkable tale. Bernal, again channeling the feminine side he showed in Almodovar's 鈥淏ad Education,鈥� makes up for what he lacks in physical strength with charm. It's a terrific performance, even if it doesn't measure up to Cassandro's.
鈥淐补蝉蝉补苍诲谤辞,鈥� an Amazon Studios release, is rated R by the Motion Picture Association for language, drug use and sexual content. Running time: 107 minutes. Three stars out of four.
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This review has been updated to correct the first name of Bernal.
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Follow AP Film Writer Jake Coyle on Twitter at:
Jake Coyle, The Associated Press
