Saul (a phenomenal, physically committed turn from Gael García Bernal) has two passions in life. One is his beloved mum. The other is Mexican wrestling. El Paso-based Saul has been plugging away on the amateur circuit, in gaudy, neon-lit dives just across the border, but with his drab grey costume and his unprepossessing name – El Topo, or the Mole – he’s not making much progress. But then casual comments from fellow wrestlers plant a seed, and Saul reinvents himself as the flamboyantly camp Cassandro. His new alter ego is an “exotico”, a wrestler who fights unmasked, wearing extravagant makeup and provocatively incorporating his gay sexual identity into his wrestling persona.
Based on the true story of Saúl Armendáriz, who became known as the “Liberace of Lucha Libre”, this is a giddily entertaining and celebratory drama that hints at the emotional bruises under the sparkly lurex leotard and false lashes.
In select cinemas; on Amazon Prime Video from 22 September
