Bad Day to Go Fishing

Jacob van Oppen, the former strongest man on earth, and his manager Orsini, a scrawny yet dapper businessman who calls himself “the Prince,” make a good living by travelling around small South American towns and organizing wrestling exhibitions in run-down theaters. Jacob van Oppen is an uncontrollable titan of impressive dimensions who can only be appeased by the soft soothing melody of “Lili Marleen.” Once this oddball pair disembark at the village of Santa Maria, business really kicks off: the local newspaper is immediately gung-ho on sponsoring the fight, helping hands placard posters announcing the big event and putting an open call for a worthy adversary. Ever so resourceful, Orsini knows how to find the right combatant, but fishing in Santa Maria could lead to a bigger catch than he’d hoped for… Although the cunning editor of the local newspaper is convinced to have sniffed out Orsini’s secret, he very well might be on a false track. Based on a short story by Uruguayan writer Juan Carlos Onetti. —mostra.org