Cassandro15

Directed by Roger Ross Williams | Mexico/USA | 2023 | 1h 47m | Spanish w/ English subtitles | Starring Gael García Bernal, Roberta Colindrez, Perla De La Rosa, Joaquín Cosio, Raúl Castillo

In the lucha libre wrestling scene of Juárez, Mexico, gay luchador Saúl is tired of playing a nondescript underdog who always loses his matches. His trainer suggests he develop an exótico character — a stereotypically effeminate role that never win their bouts and that audiences love to hate. But Saúl longs to be a star and is desperate to win. Starring a fabulous lead performance by Gael García Bernal, award–winning documentary filmmaker Roger Ross Williams (Life, Animated) makes his fiction directorial debut with the real-life tale of Cassandro, the “Liberace of lucha libre”.

Reviews

‘As a portrait of a man finding himself in his profession and celebrating his true self, ‘Cassandro’ is extraordinary.’
★★★★
Gregory Ellwood, The Playlist

‘A triumph for Bernal and for Williams and all his collaborators, a film that takes on very fresh territory and suffuses all of its frames with love for all of the people in it.’
Dan Callahan, TheWrap

Sorry - you missed it!

We showed Cassandro between September 22, 2023 and September 27, 2023.

Join our mailing list and we'll make sure you always know what's on and when.

What else is on?

Wednesday 31st December

15:00

It Was Just an Accident 12A
1h 44m | Persian w/ English subtitles
Azerbaijani mechanic Vahid suspects a customer is his former Iranian torturer. After years of censorship and a recent spell in jail, celebrated Iranian filmmaker Jafar Panahi returns with a thrilling tale of obsession, paranoia, and vengeance. Winner of the Palme d’Or at Cannes.

Book here

17:30

Blue Moon 15
1h 40m
On 31 March 1943, lyricist Lorenz Hart drinks alone at Sardi’s as former collaborator Richard Rodgers basks in Oklahoma!’s triumph. While accolades flood in, Hart unravels with bittersweet candour. Ethan Hawke shines in Richard Linklater’s real-time meditation on art, regret, and legacy.

Book here


Thursday 1st January

13:15

Once Upon a Time in the West 15
2h 45m
A ruthless mercenary targets a widow’s newly inherited land, forcing an outlaw and a enigmatic gunslinger to defend her. Leone’s sweeping revenge epic combines operatic imagery, Fonda and Cardinale’s iconic performances, and Morricone’s immortal score in a mythic elegy to the West.

Book here

17:00

It Was Just an Accident 12A
1h 44m | Persian w/ English subtitles
Azerbaijani mechanic Vahid suspects a customer is his former Iranian torturer. After years of censorship and a recent spell in jail, celebrated Iranian filmmaker Jafar Panahi returns with a thrilling tale of obsession, paranoia, and vengeance. Winner of the Palme d’Or at Cannes.

Book here

19:30

Blue Moon 15
1h 40m
On 31 March 1943, lyricist Lorenz Hart drinks alone at Sardi’s as former collaborator Richard Rodgers basks in Oklahoma!’s triumph. While accolades flood in, Hart unravels with bittersweet candour. Ethan Hawke shines in Richard Linklater’s real-time meditation on art, regret, and legacy.

Book here


Plan your visit

Our beautiful art deco inspired auditorium can be found just off East Oxford's Cowley Road.We are open 7 days a week. We open the cinema and box office 30 minutes before the scheduled start time of each film, and the Box Office then closes 10 minutes after the film starts. We only show a few adverts – less than most cinemas – and we only play a couple of trailers, so please don’t be late as the film itself starts very close to the advertised time!