The Whale Review Empire Issue Preview: Great Actors, Nicolas Cage, The Whale, Women Talking The Whale Trailer: Brendan Fraser’s Return Continues in Darren Aronofsky’s Drama

Darren Aronofsky seems to be a filmmaker fascinated by the extreme. With Black Swan, describes to what extent someone can strive for perfection. With Requiem for a dream, were the depths an addict can go to. In the The whaleIts extremism is expressed through a man named Charlie (Brendan Fraser), who pushes human boundaries with his size and hermetic lifestyle. What’s interesting is that the most resonant parts of this film, and of Charlie, lie not in the remarkable, but in the mundane.

The headline, the audience appeal, the thing to watch, is Charlie’s physical form, delivered via relatively convincing (though still inherently dehumanizing) prosthetics. He is very very big. His belly sticks out of his pants. His jaw disappears into his neck. He is introduced through a twisted masturbation scene; we see his body exposed in the shower. Aronofsky’s direction and Samuel D. Hunter’s screenplay, adapted from his play, show a lot of sympathy for Charlie, but they still can’t escape the urge to use his bounty for the show. His greatness is something to be judged, pitied, explained, and while the supporting characters largely manage not to fall into these modes, the film itself does little to challenge the real-world stigma faced by someone like Charlie, and how it could get worse. ? their trauma, their shame, and their guilt.

More compelling than Charlie’s body is his demeanor: his routine of ordering pizza and hiding from the delivery boy; pretend your webcam is broken so your students can’t see it; self-destructive snack habits that have nothing to do with food and everything to do with your feelings. What a beautiful little land The whale What she finds in her fat build she makes up for with authenticity for the relentless and overwhelming experience of disordered eating.

All that aside, it is The whaleIt’s theatrical origin, and how it translates into a film adaptation, weighs the most. The unique placement is effective at conveying Charlie’s isolation, but the cold palette and lack of visual variety eventually grow stale. The time spent on missionary benefactor Thomas (Ty Simpkins)’s subplot feels wasted, and elaborating on his backstory is by far the least interesting thread.

The hero is undoubtedly Brendan Fraser. It’s impossible not to notice the thematic similarities between his experiences in (and away from) Hollywood and Charlie’s isolation from the world. His on-screen presence injects much-needed empathy into this film, adding levity and innocence to a character of polar opposites: Charlie is selfless and selfish; incredibly optimistic about daughter Ellie’s potential (a strong and excellent Sadie Sink) but desperate about his own; able to see their faults but not take responsibility for them. As emotionally taxing as it may have been for Fraser, seeing her given the space to take on such a complex role in such a thoughtful and humane way is The whaleThis is the real triumph.