Lucha Libre: Life Behind the Mask (2005)

• 69%
• 2005
• Documentary
• Rich Walton

On a Sunday evening in Compton, California, a crowd slowly enters an old dance hall. Tonight it will house a very different type of dancing--the dance of the luchador. The crowd begins to bang the metal folding chairs on the ground in anticipation for the match. The announcer screams into the microphone: Ladies and gentlemen, the one and only, the original Diiiiinamic! In Mexico, soccer is a passion Lucha Libre is a way of life. Next to soccer, lucha libre (Mexican wrestling) is the most popular sport in Mexico. The luchador attains cult-like status and assumes the persona of a superhero. His identity is a secret and the persona, through the mask, is passed down from one generation to the next. Lucha Libre, Life Behind the Mask explores the unique world of lucha libre through the stories of three luchadors continuing the tradition in Los Angeles. Dinamic, who has been wrestling for thirty years, is approaching the end of his time in the ring. Kayam, the son of a famous luchador, carries on the family tradition, and Principe Unlimited, a first generation luchador, just starting his career. These men, all at different stages of their careers, provide a rare, behind the scenes view of the life of a luchador and what it means to live behind the mask. Lucha Libre, Life Behind the Mask behind every mask, there is a story.