The film “The Calamari Wrestler” from 2004 tells the story of an extraordinary wrestling match. During an ordinary professional wrestling match, a giant Calamar suddenly appears after the fight to challenge the winner of the match.
When the spectators see the fighting style of the Calamari, they realise that it is no ordinary opponent, but Kan-Ichi Iwata, a former wrestling star. Iwata had given up wrestling three years ago to undergo strict ascetic training in the mountains of Pakistan.
The Japanese wrestling federation sees Iwata’s appearance as a chance to get him to step back into the ring and lose in a fake match. The defeated man takes up the offer and also travels to Pakistan to undergo the same training that made Iwata invincible.
On the day of the fight, a giant octopus with oversized tentacles competes against the calamari. In this fight, the calamari keeps the upper hand and celebrates his victory afterwards.
The next and most dangerous opponent is a giant cockroach, which challenges the calamari to a decisive fight. Whether the Calamari can also win this fight remains to be seen. The film “The Calamari Wrestler” is an extraordinary story about the will to win and the power of overcoming obstacles.
