Murray State University Cinema International is screening the film "Cassandro," a biopic telling the story of a gay Mexican-American wrestler who participates in Lucha Libre, or "free fight," a Mexican style of wrestling that often includes masks and sequences of holds. The protagonist goes on a journey of self-discovery that leads him to adopt the flamboyant persona "Cassandro" as he rises to international fame.
Co-Director of MSU Cinema International Tamara Feinstein said that the film deals with topics such as sexuality and how Cassandro comes to terms with and finds strength in his identity.
"It looks at sort of an amateur Lucha Libre wrestler and his rise to international stardom. And it's also really interesting, because it looks at sexuality and how he really allows himself to shine through in his personality, Cassandro, that's the sort of stage name that he uses," said Feinstein. "And he sort of comes to terms with who he is throughout the film at different moments and really works to change the attitudes and the world of wrestling."
Murray State University Assistant Professor of Photography Cintia Segovia Figueroa said she really enjoyed the film and thought the reconciliation between the conservative Catholicism dominant in Mexican society and Cassandro's homosexuality was graceful and uplifting.
"I love this film. I didn't know what to expect, but I was really uplifted by this story. Lucha Libre means fighting and free. This is a story about being free through fighting with wrestling, not just on the stage but it's also wrestling in life, like how to find yourself, how to fall down and get up again and be your true self.," said Figueroa. "I'm from Mexico City, and I grew up going to Lucha Libre. And something that I really like is how it portrays the time in the 1980s of Mexico, and how it also shows this man that is Cassandro, his stage name, and how religious he is. How he can make this compatible between Catholicism and his identity. So that is something that I also found very interesting and very uplifting in this story."
Feinstein and Figueroa both hope audiences find the film uplifting and positive, showing how the power of one person can make a difference in society and have an impact, whether it is on a micro or macro level.
"I think it's an uplifting story that tells you to never give up on your dreams, that your dreams can come true, and that what's unique about you can actually be a strength that doesn't necessarily have to be something that excludes you from society," said Feinstein.
MSU Cinema International is screening "Cassandro" on Thursday, February 13th and Saturday, February 15th at 7:30 p.m. in Faculty Hall 208 on the main campus of Murray State University. The event is free and open to the public.
