Jesús Juárez Rosales is a Mexican idol. Even international. His fascinating figure has conquered different generations during his countless presentations, over 40 years, in the Mexico Arena, as one of the most iconic and beloved characters of the World Wrestling Council (CMLL). All, in reality, know him in the ring as KeMonitothe character that has been characterized for 18 years. Between adventures, memes and his unforgettable outfit – a small turquoise gorilla – has contributed entertainment and joy to this national sport.
Despite becoming a viral figure after the pandemic, Juárez Rosales, 57, has been wanting to retire for years. Even with its growing injuries, decreased mobility and its complicated economic situation, this has not been possible. How is the day to day of an icon of Mexican wrestling that sees the end of his career more and closer? It is one of the questions posed by the documentary short film Kemonito: The last fallby Miguel's director Teresa, who is available in Netflix, an radiography to the human being behind the mask and beyond the ring.
Juárez Rosales was born in Guadalajara, Jalisco, in 1967. He did it with Acondroplasia, a condition that is popularly known as dwarfism. He worked since childhood in car workshops, carpentry and puffiders and even circuses. In 1984, after training for a season, he began his career in the fight under the motes of El Duende Maya and El Centavito. Soon his first opportunity came as “pet” of the famous fighter known as darkness.
“Tinieblas was looking for a puppy or changuito, something for him. I entered like Alushe, the first pet inside wrestling. Children and adults said: 'What is this?
The first time that from Miguel (Madrid, 38 years old) had contact with the wrestling world went to his 15. He still remembers his first time in the Mexico Arena, in a state of “absolute shock”, with the stands bursting, the people standing shouting, the children applauding, “it was crazy”, recalls. Seeing a turquoise monkey flying through the air, with the stature of a small child, “without knowing who that figure was,” fascination caused him. “I have always caught my attention what happens in the stands, what happens in the ring. And obviously one of the figures that most awake fascination, joy, emotion, tenderness and many other feelings is kemonite,” he says.
The second moment that led her to undertake her film work was during an assignment as a journalist in which she made, together with a colleague, a report on the old glories of wrestling and how, at the decline of her career, they battle with physical, health and economic problems. He immediately thought of Kemonito, because he always considered him a legend. He interviewed him in the Mexico Arena, but he felt that, being a choral work, they only came to capture a brief photograph of the character.
“I remember the moment perfectly when the interview ended. He took off his mask. It was something that left me quite impressed, because the masked fighters are very careful to preserve his identity and he had the confidence of sitting next to me, showing me his face and continuing to talk out of camera. That moment he generated me as much curious about his story and eager to explore his person, his person and his whole story. I felt that Kemonito's story deserved something broader, deeper, ”says Miguel.
The most important thing, explains the filmmaker, was to explore in the documentary this absolute contradiction of a person who, in his mind, is famous, recognized and loved in Mexico, but who is at the same time going through considerable economic problems in the last years of his career. Which also implied a difficulty and limiting to narrate his life in depth. How to tell the story behind the mask of a person who does not want to reveal his identity?
“The challenge is brutal. What we tried to do was to turn it a little and use it in our favor, because I also think that it becomes quite attractive to see intimate moments of this person, for example, when he is in the doctor receiving physiotherapy and also with the mask always put. In some places where the short film was presented, where they do not know so much the culture of Mexican wrest An imperative need to protect your identity, ”he adds.
The director, who declares her admiration for the Latin American documentary, says that among her inspirations for Kemonito: The last fall There was the style of making a movie theater of Salvadoran-Mexican Tatian voice-over or an interview.
“I loved Cassandro's documentary. He attracted and encouraged me a lot. Then other documentaries, which may have nothing to do with this issue, but for me they are references and that one tries to emulate. One who fascinates me is called Paris is burning (Jennie Livingston, 1990) On the scene ball in New York; as well as Margarita, by Bruno Santamaría, also very intimate. I tried to achieve this type of narrative, ”says the director.
Although the documentary does not enter into judicial aspects regarding the litigation between the World Wrestling Council (CMLL) and Juarez on the rights of the Kemonito character, in 2023 the fighter left the CMLL between complaints of workplace harassment, dispossession and fraud and went to the independent circuit. He alleges that, although the Council has registered the character, he was the one who designed and developed it and who has the legitimate right of its use. The case is still pending resolution.
The production – with a duration of 23 minutes – that had a tour of more than 15 festivals throughout the world and that was even nominated for the Ariel Awards in the category of best short documentary, received support from the Mexican Institute of Cinematography, so that the filming was held for about six months in 2021. However, to achieve the privacy that Miguel achieves in his work, they have been five years in which the director has grown Kemonito, his wife and four children, all committed to his husband's career and father from different areas.
“He is a person who fights every day, who has to sew his masks at his home with his Singer machine and who wants every day to get his family forward. I think that is very surprising for the people who see him as a superfamous figure,” he concludes from Miguel.
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