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Mucho Mucho Amor: Netflix Documentary on the life of Walter Mercado

At one point in time, horoscopes and Walter Mercado were synonymous. A legend known all around Latin America and the United states has unified all its households with ‘mucho, mucho amor’. Last November 2019, the Puerto Rican astrologer passed away. However, the mantra that is “Mucho Mucho Amor” will live on through a documentary highlighting his life on Netflix.

For a little over 30 years, Walter Mercado has blessed televisions, radios and 120 million people all over America every day whilst redefining gender roles in his own special way––with flair and a very broad collection of different coloured robes. Unfortunately in 2007, Mercado was nowhere to be seen in the media.

Cristina Costantini, Kareem Tabsch and Alex Fumero spearheaded this project and worked together to find what it meant to become the Puerto Rican astrologer. Two years it took just so they can get enough and more for Mercado’s documentary.

One of the film’s directors, Costantini, said high praises about Mercado:

“I like to say he’s something like an Oprah, Mr. Rogers and a little bit of Liberace mixed in,” said Costantini. “Walter is incredibly media-trained. Having spent so much time with him we were able to meet the man behind the cape and show who he actually is.”

With a very stacked plethora of films, the Sundance Film Festival next week will premier the astrologer’s documentary, and will be described as a “love letter” to Mercado.

This was taken from the film’s description in the Sundance website:

“The film explores Walter’s complex story from the rural sugarcane fields of Puerto Rico to international astrology superstardom, rising above homophobia and the heteronormative beliefs of Latin society with a message of love and hope. From Latinx co-directors Kareem Tabsch and Cristina Costantini (Science Fair, Festival Favorite Award at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival), Mucho Mucho Amor is a love letter to Walter Mercado. The filmmakers, who grew up watching him with their abuelitos, craft a film with levity and a playful spirit. Light-years ahead of his time, Walter has become a nostalgic cult icon of self-expression and positivity for the gender-fluid youth of today.

In bold, this is what it meant to become Walter Mercado, and what it meant to be as his audience. An icon of positivity, self-expression and so much more that we could be using in today’s frantic world. Mercado was well beyond his years.

The legendary Lin-Manuel Miranda, Eugenio Derbez and Raul De Molina is set to appear in the documentary.

It’s a sad moment, but let’s live knowing that this is what Mercado said to the filmmakers on his last interview:
Walter used to be a star but now he’s a constellation. If you look into the night sky, Walter will be there.

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