SXSW 2021 Review: Luchadoras

Luchadoras (2021) is a documentary film. It was written by Paola Calvo, Patrick Jasim, and Phillip Kaminiak. It was directed by Paola Calvo and Patrick Jasim.

Luchadoras follows a group of female wrestlers (Luchadoras for the uninitiated), as they struggle to find success and provide for their families, while enduring life on the mean streets of Ciudad Juárez, the deadliest city in the world.

The film introduces us to Lady Candy, Baby Star, Little Star, and Mini Sirenita. All four are Luchadoras who are trying to get on the card at a wrestling show in Mexico City. The film takes us through each of their daily routines, shows us what motivates them, introduces us to each of their own personal struggles, and shows us what each of them is capable of inside the ring. There are no narrators other than the voices of the participants themselves, and some archival sound bites from news.

It is an interesting time for professional wrestling. Even though it remains on the fringes of popular entertainment, the fan base has never been more vocal, nor involved. Although not as popular with a mainstream audience as it was say, twenty years ago at the height of the Monday night wars, and the “Attitude Era” of WWE, the profession is very much alive and well. However, things have definitely changed.

One of the most significant changes in modern wrestling is the involvement of women. This is by no means to say that women weren’t involved in the past. They were. However, for the longest time, they were treated mostly as eye candy. Even the women who were more”serious” wrestlers were still tarted out, and not really taken seriously. For a while, the only women’s matches you would even see on television was stuff like “bra and panties” matches.

I should add to this the caveat that at the time to which I refer, Vince McMahon was the only dude running a televised promotion on the national stage. Women in the independent promotions were taken, and booked in a far more serious manner. But for cable TV, they weren’t taken seriously, or given much respect at all.

As time wore on, and WWE ratings continued to slip, fans became more insistent on not having their basest desires pandered to, and to see women in wrestling treated in a more respectful, less sexualized way. Consequently, women’s wrestling on television, and on the independent circuit has become much closer to what their male counterparts have been doing for years: kicking ass, and being taken seriously while doing it.

Are they still eye candy? Well, of course they are. At least to a certain degree. Shit, so are the men. But that is part of what makes women so entertaining as wrestlers. They still look great, only now it is about much more than just their looks. Now they have a far greater shot at making it based on their skill, talent, and charisma, rather than because of how much skin they are willing to put on the glass.

Enter the Luchadoras. All of the performers we spend time with in the film are very good at their chosen profession. In fact, in Mexico, wrestling is a time honored tradition. It is and has always been more than just a popular, prime-time, television show. For diehard fans, as well as the wrestlers themselves, pro wrestling is a way of life. Such is absolutely the case for our heroines in Luchadoras. In fact, they are treated with more respect inside the ring than they are outside of it. Especially in a place like Juarez, where women are the victims of violent crimes in disproportionate numbers.

For the Luchadoras, acquiring respect in the ring is the least of their worries. They seek respect in the real world. In this doc we see them all applying all of those abilities they use successfully in the ring to their civilian lives. The grit, determination, hard work, and perseverance that it takes to achieve their wrestling goals are the same tools they use in their private lives. Only, the situations they face in their real lives don’t have a scripted outcome.

If you are looking for a documentary that is more purely about wrestling, Luchadoras might not be your jam. The film isn’t so much about the wrestling itself, but rather about the identity and confidence wrestling can provide its combatants with. How wrestling is such a positive force in the lives of these women who contend with much negativity in their lives. Films like Beyond the Mat (Barry W. Blaustein, 1999), or You Cannot Kill David Arquette (Price James, David Darg, 2020) are documentaries that have wrestling itself under the microscope.

If, on the other hand, you are looking for something that is more about personal triumphs, or stories of people facing adversity, AND you would like some wrestling flavor as well, Luchadoras is well worth a look. If you like inspirational stories of strong women who are willing to fight for what’s right, you would be looking in the right place by choosing this film.

Admittedly, it is not the greatest, nor the most moving doc I have ever seen, but it does well by its subject, and its subjects. It is slightly scattershot at times, and breaks no new ground, stylistically speaking. However, it is full of powerful, first-person testimony, and shines a much needed spotlight on the violent, and lawless circumstances that are commonplace just south of our international border. It would be hard not to feel empathetic towards these tough and tenacious women. It is a satisfying and enlightening documentary. And who knows, maybe this film will open the door for Lady Candy and Baby Star on the global stage, and just maybe wrestling fans outside of Mexico might get a chance to see these ladies ply their trade in a squared circle closer to them someday.