Gael García Bernal’s Cassandro, a biopic about the first openly gay wrestler in the world of lucha libre, has been receiving praise after its premiere at Sundance. And now, the movie is getting even more attention thanks to a viral on-screen kiss between Bernal and one of the biggest talents in the world, Bad Bunny.
Cassandro, whose real name is Saúl Armendariz, started as an amateur wrestler in El Paso, Texas, and entered the world of wrestling as a last resort. Fortunately, another wrestler named Sabrina took him under her wing and helped him train to become an iconic wrestler. Cassandro The Exotico, who Bernal plays in the biopic, was a trailblazer for LGBTQ+ people interested in lucha libre and has since become an icon to many.
Bad Bunny’s character in the film, a young man named Felipe, comes to Cassandro’s side at the behest of a shady promoter. The drug dealing henchman’s responsibility is to handle every one of Cassandro’s needs, and Felipe does. The pairing of these two leads to an incredibly flirtatious relationship leading to an on-screen kiss that has already been heard around the world.
Having just premiered at Sundance, Cassandro is being called Bernal’s “one of his most layered performances to date with many impressed that he did almost all of his own stunts. Others even said that he “seems to command the light, and impressive, physically demanding fight choreography combine to mirror the spell that Cassandro casts over his former adversaries.”
As for the scenes with Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, better known as Bad Bunny, some felt it “seems gratuitous” while others say his character’s relationship with Bernal “yields some enjoyable flirtation.” Ultimately, it’s amazing to see Bad Bunny branching out when it comes to acting and learning from talents like Gael García Bernal, who is helping to bring the story of an LGBTQ+ icon to the big and little screen.
The film is expected to be streaming on Amazon Prime sometime in 2023 so stay tuned!