‘The Whale’ is a very tough film to watch. And I don’t say that because the plot involves a reclusive 600-pound individual, depressed and resigned to his final few breaths – the unsettling part of this remarkable piece isn’t so much what you see, it’s the emotional element. Director Darren Aronofsky, a film maker who has never been shy to root around at psychological friction, is determined to keep this movie very raw and very real. And, reality is, life can often be cruel.
That said, there’s good in the world too. And leave little doubt, for whatever flaws the main character – and well, pretty much all other players in ‘The Whale’ might carry – there’s a whole lot of good underneath the surface, even if it’s not outwardly expressed. So if you can endure the dark side of this story…how frightening it can be, how dark it can get….you’ll emerge believing that in even the most heartbreaking of circumstances, inspiration can be found.
Plus, you’ll have the privilege of experiencing one of Hollywood’s greatest comebacks of all time, from an actor who couldn’t deserve it more. Brendan Fraser, whose career has been awfully quiet for the last decade or so (for reasons exhaustedly covered by the media, you can look up it) is back, and he’s brilliant. And while the initial sight of him as Charlie could safely be described as startling, it doesn’t take long to look past the fat suit and prosthetics and see the performance – the outstanding performance – from a guy whom the majority of the industry likely had pegged to tap out at ‘The Mummy’. Here, Fraser finally gets his day with a two hour acting clinic; even the expression of his eyes have the ability to bring you to tears at any given moment.
Samuel D. Hunter adapted the script from his very own play, and ‘The Whale’ does indeed have the feel of a stage production; it’s quiet, the cast is small in numbers, and they’re essentially limited to one room, Charlie’s dark and dingy apartment. That’s where he teaches a university course in writing online, pretending his laptop camera is broken so his students won’t see him in the flesh. He binge-eats, because he knows his going to die; his heart is failing faster than his will to live. And, drowning in tragedy, he welcomes the end. The one aspect left on his to-do list? To make sure his teenage daughter Ellie (Sadie Sink), kept at a distance from him by his alcoholic ex-wife Mary (Samantha Morton), is going to be okay. While society views her as a problem kid on a path to nowhere, Charlie continues to believe she’s amazing. And, like most everything else in this story, if you can get through all the layers – he’s not wrong.
The other visitors to Charlie’s apartment, and the list isn’t very long, includes an evangelical missionary (Ty Simpkins), and Charlie’s nurse friend Liz (Hong Chau), who is an enabler in every sense of the word, but so full of love and worry for Charlie, she simply knows no other way. Like I said before…..’The Whale’ keeps things very real.
There are similarities to this picture and Aronofsky’s ‘The Wrestler’. In that movie, the lead had a life of riches and stardom, only to wind up broken with the realization not only that he left the truly valuable parts of his life behind long ago, but it’s too late to do any repair. Charlie is in much the same situation, minus the brief flirt with fame. Both are tragic figures with no other option – and yet, both deliver a touch of encouragement upon the final bow. And the reason for that split second upliftment will differ with probably everyone who sees the film – for it all depends on the viewer’s OWN story on what they will take away from it.
Now that’s impressive storytelling…
