The Sons of El Rey

Family patriarch and former luchador Ernesto Vega is on his deathbed in an Los Angeles hospice, being paid visits by the ghost of his deceased wife, Elena; his son, Freddy; his grandson, Julian; and his own lucha libre persona, El Rey Coyote. Narrators Gisela Chípe, Tony Chiroldes, Lee Osorio, and André Santana deliver Espinoza’s (Cruising) vivid saga, examining the many facets of this complex family: Ernesto’s relationship with proud, clear-eyed Elena (voiced by Chípe); Freddy’s (Osorio) anguished struggle to cope with economic upheaval in the wake of COVID; and Julian (Santana), a gay professor at a community college whose unexpected revelation may help Freddy and Julian find resolution and healing. El Rey, perfectly captured by Chiroldes, is a jealous, self-absorbed trickster and is also the soul of the family. He scrutinizes each family member, laying bare their fraught struggles to contend with social and cultural conventions and the heartbreaking consequences of each individual’s choices.