Going into 2022, one of the year’s most anticipated films was one that I was hesitant to embrace fully. The subject matter in Darren Aronofsky’s The Whale hits home in multiple facets; however, as a fan of almost all of Aronofsky’s films, his insight, and visual style would offer respect to the subject matter that would make it easier to digest. With films like The Wrestler, Black Swan, Requiem for a Dream, and most recently, mother!, Aronofsky never makes his cinematic experiences an easy watch, but mostly earned and warranted.
To the surprise of no one, Darren Aronofsky’s The Whale broke me. A heartbreaking and numbing cinematic journey through redemption and self-reflection. Brendan Fraser is nothing short of transcendent in this devastating and career-defining performance. It’s a film set to live rent-free in my mind for quite some time.
The Whale enters the world of Charlie, a morbidly obese English professor who spends his days teaching online courses with his camera off and overeating. With his weight ballooning to 600 pounds, Charlie is mainly confined to his couch and wheelchair, only shifting to use the bathroom and go to bed. Throughout the five days the film takes place, Charlie encounters a missionary named Thomas, his caretaker Liz, and attempts to reconnect with his daughter Ellie, who is angry at her father, and only chooses to stay when Charlie offers to pay her for her time.
Darren Aronofsky’s choice to have Samuel D. Hunter adapt his play for the big screen was wise. With Aronofsky’s direction and Hunter’s adaptation, cinephiles are given a portrait of a man who is a kind spirit despite the world and its surroundings not being kind to him. Despite being hard on himself, Charlie sees the good in those he encounters, even his daughter, who is frustrated with how her relationship with her father has turned out.
The effectiveness of both direction and screenplay falls on the performance of Brendan Fraser. To those wondering if this was the “Oscar bait-y prosthetics” winning performance that’s become catnip for the Academy, you will be happy to know this is more than that. It’s near impossible not to be enthralled by Fraser’s take as he embodies the physical and emotional trauma that Charlie deals with daily. Every movement, every moment, is felt throughout Fraser’s performance. Few performances since the turn of the century have left me more emotionally numb than Fraser did here. It’s not just deserving of the Oscar but worthy of being named one of the all-time great performances.
Similarly to She Said, Samantha Morton is phenomenal in her one scene, while Sadie Sink and Hong Chau offer complex takes. While it’s easy for some to think Sink’s Ellie is a bit much, I counter with seeing an individual who is both angry and hurt, and Sink captures those feelings beautifully. Likewise, Chau’s nuanced take as both Charlie’s caretaker and the sister of his lover, whose since passed and is Charlie’s reasoning for self-destruction, is phenomenal. Both with heart-shattering moments, with Sink’s being the moment where my entire theater burst into tears.
I understand if the film may lean too dark for some, but The Whale is a life-altering cinematic experience for me. One that has left me self-reflecting since my screening, and I will continue to do so. It’s one of the most influential films of the year.
