After reading a review in The New York Times, filmmaker Darren Aronofsky saw a play by Samuel D. Hunter. Titled The Whale, Aronofsky was so moved by the show that he met with Hunter, and the two started collaborating. Aronofsky wanted to adapt Hunter’s play to the big screen, but it would take ten years for that to happen. The biggest challenge was casting the lead role of Charlie, a morbidly obese English teacher living alone. One day, Aronofsky watched the trailer for 2006’s Journey to the End of the Night on YouTube, starring Brendan Fraser. Sadly, Fraser’s career had gone downhill after calling out the then-head of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association for sexual assault. Alongside Fraser, Sadie Sink, Hong Chau, Ty Simpkins, and Samantha Morton were cast in one of Aronofsky’s most challenging films. After earning critical acclaim at the Venice Film Festival, The Whale opened in December.
%
Rating
Synopsis
Charlie (Brendan Fraser) is an overweight English teacher teaching online courses with the webcam turned off for fear of embarrassment. Since leaving his wife Mary (Samantha Morton) for another man, Charlie has become a recluse with hardly any outside contact. He’s cared for by Liz (Hong Chaung), a nurse who continually urges him to go to a hospital. Knowing he doesn’t have much time left, Charlie tries reconnecting with his estranged daughter Ellie (Sadie Sink). She wants nothing to do with him but changes her mind when Charlie agrees to write her essays. Charlie also gets visits from Thomas (Ty Simpkins), a missionary for the New Life Church that tries to evangelize Charlie. Soon enough, Liz brings Mary to discover that Ellie was seeing Charlie, leading him to plead with his ex-wife tearfully. Will Charlie succeed in his endeavors, or will he die not having made amends?
Review
I had been anticipating The Whale for months since hearing the buzz it generated at the Venice International Film Festival. Now that it’s finally out, I can safely say that the movie lived up to my expectations and then some. First, Brendan Fraser deserves all the acclaim he’s been getting for giving the best performance of his career. After a while, you forget that he’s wearing a fat suit and believe he gained that much weight. While it’s easy to sympathize with his struggles, Fraser almost challenges you to accept how grotesque he is. He constantly asks people to acknowledge him for his identity rather than sugarcoat and dance around the subject. Fraser knows how much of a failure he is and wants to feel like he’s done at least something right. He deserves an Oscar for his performance, and I hope this reignites his career.
Of course, that’s not to say the rest of the cast lacks, as everyone, including Fraser, performs well. Sadie Sink is excellent as the broken, spiteful daughter who reluctantly agrees to spend time with her dad. Hong Chau is another standout as Charlie’s only true friend who still cares for him despite his stubbornness. Ty Simpkins is also great as a missionary who wants to help Charlie despite his flaws and past actions. Darren Aronofsky continues to impress as a director, choosing to film the movie in a 4:3 aspect ratio. This helps to make the film feel more claustrophobic and isolated like you’re right there with Charlie. Like many of Aronofsky’s works, this will divide some people, especially with its depiction of fat people. Overall, The Whale is an excellent film about grief, shame, and remorse, punctuated by a career-defining performance from Brendan Fraser.
Disclosure: The above link is an affiliate link, which means that, at zero cost to you, I will earn a commission if you click through the link and finalize a purchase.
