The Whale

After not very well received film Mother! and five long years, the master of depressing and oppressive dramas is back, and he's still on form thanks to (his thematic favourite) God. Within Darren Aronofsky's filmography, The Whale is probably closest to The Wrestler in its somewhat restrained approach by the director's standards, as it also tells the story of the bitter life of a man at the end of his rope who has a problematic relationship with his daughter. In terms of premise, The Whale is not an inherently complex film, but it mixes in some interesting themes and moments that leave the viewer engaged with the action on screen. The lion's share of all this is of course (literally, given the fat-suit) the breathtaking performance of Brendan Fraser. I always had reservations about him, but here he proved his acting qualities to perfection as Charlie. He was ably seconded by all the supporting characters played by Sadie Sink, Hong Chau, as well as Ty Simpkins and Samantha Morton. While the film kept pretty much to the ground (or was it Earth?) (thanks to Charlie's mass, and not just Charlie), there were more than a few places where Aranofsky poked fun at his favorite Creator, but not in an underhanded or purposeless way. The Whale, like Charlie, may be naive and overly positive in places, but it also manages to convey the message that people can be amazing if they have support and are honest with themselves in an authentic and not aggressively weepy way. (03/09/2023)

Obesity and bulimia are issues that have not been addressed much by Hollywood, so I applaud the fact that this substantial rarity does not downplay the issue, nor does it revel in it. By Aronofsky's standards, it is a fairly normal story that is unexpectedly friendly to the audience whose feelings he likes to play with. Towards the end, however, he mines emotions in an outrageous way, and as a result all previous believability is taken away. It's disappointing, but not enough to obscure the most important thing, Brendan Fraser is back at full force after all these years, and if anyone deserves countless accolades for this feat in the coming months, it's him. (11/02/2022)

It makes me happy whenever a movie draws me in so perfectly that I forget it's just a movie. And this one did it extremely well. I know Brendan Fraser as more of a comedic actor, but he convinced me that he deserves an award for his performance here. I consider the Oscars highly politically influenced, but if it makes anyone happy, let it be Brendan Fraser. Fans of more action-packed spectacles might not enjoy this film, but I really immersed myself in the story and enjoyed watching the protagonist whose suicide was agonizingly slow, as well as all the secondary, undernourished characters. I really enjoyed the character of Liz, who was smaller in size but 10 feet tall at heart, and Sadie Sink as the bitchy Ellie. Despite being profound, the film did not dissolve into boring philosophizing about the transience of human life. On the contrary, the creators spiced it up with a pizza night that turned into an evening with Mr. Creosote, and I couldn't believe my eyes. I couldn't help but notice that the Heimlich maneuver has evolved, and I'm glad that there was space for occasional flashes of subtle humor. / "You say you're sorry one more time, I will shove a knife right into you, I swear to god!" "Go ahead, what's it gonna do? My internal organs are two feet in, at least." / Lesson learned: If you decide to commit suicide, be aware that some methods are time-consuming and financially demanding. 5*- (03/27/2023)

An acting masterclass combined with a masterclass in unnecessary directorial manipulation. If Darren had reined in his desire to drag the viewer into a fit of transcendent emotion and had carried the film through to the end as an intimate story about a human mass of guilt and loneliness, it might have had the punch that he last achieved in The Wrestler. Unfortunately, however, this is how the redemption of a self-destructive man becomes more distant the more the director tries to make it poignant. Fraser, on the other hand, deserves maximum respect, as he account for all of the humor and humanism in this dubious dramatic cetacean. (12/30/2022)

In my opinion, The Whale is Aronofsky's second best film, after The Fountain. It isn’t nasty like Requiem for a Dream, nor is it bloated like Black Swan or weepy and formulaic like Wrestler (although it has a lot in common with the latter), but this time it just worked. Although the story doesn't really surprise with anything, it's so well written (you can see the theatrical backbone), acted (Brendan Fraser is brilliant, I'm rooting for him) and filmed (we practically don't leave the apartment, but it doesn't matter) that my cautious curiosity turned into enthusiasm pretty quickly. But I must also praise Sadie Sink and Hong Chau, without whom Charlie would not be Charlie, and I must not forget Simonsen's music. I was originally going to give it four stars, but after a couple of days my reservations melted away under the weight (ahem) of all the unexpectedly positive things the film brought. (03/04/2023)