The story of the film The Whale originated as play by Samuel D. Hunter who actually writes the screenplay for the film version too. Darren Aronofsky is the filmmaker in charge of bringing this story to life on the big screen, and he has been accredited in the past to be one of the select filmmakers who is considered to be more of an auteur. He has a particular style to his work and he puts a lot of religious metaphors and allegories into his films too, which are also evident within The Whale. Both Aronofsky and Hunter together have delivered a stellar film and it is not just because of their creative talent but it is also because of who they got in their cast as well.
The Whale is a film that focuses a lot on character. The main character of the film is Charlie who is played by Brendan Fraser and Fraser delivers without doubt his most powerful performance yet of his career. Charlie is severely overweight and is on the verge of dying if he doesn’t get treatment for his condition. Other characters in The Whale include his nurse Liz played by Hong Chau, his daughter Ellie played by Sadie Sink, his ex-wife Mary played by Samatha Morton and Ty Simpkins plays Thomas, a missionary for the New Life Church who turns up on Charlie’s doorstep and attempts to save his soul. Each character has lost their faith in humanity in some way shape or form, whether it is Ellie’s lack commitment at school or Liz’s hopeless efforts to look after Charlie or even Thomas’s troubled past with the Church and his parents. The film explores each of their stories from start to finish.
The Whale is set over a week and as the audience we witness what life for Charlie is like. He teaches an English course online but without the use of his webcam so no-one can see who he truly is, and when he isn’t teaching he is usually eating or reading. Charlie doesn’t leave his house and prefers to put others before himself. His sole focus is ensuring there is a life for his daughter after his inevitable death. He loves her and gives her nothing put praise and positivity despite her bad-natured motives. Charlie isn’t a character who is depressed or moans about his condition. He knows what he’s doing to himself and he has his reasons, but by all other means he is a relatively happy and chirpy. Fraser’s performance and commitment to his character exudes itself off the screen. This is very much his film, and he deserves all the praise he gets for playing Charlie.
The boxed-in approach to the story may feel slightly claustrophobic or repetitive in places, but it does breeze by. Each character goes through a monologue of who they are, where they came form and the regrets they have. It is in these aspects that do remind you that this was originally a play, and you can tell where the cutaways would’ve been if this was on a stage instead of a screen. It is by no means distracting, but it is a little noticeable in some parts of the film. That being said, less is certainly more when it comes to The Whale. The production design, the empathetic music and the prosthetics for Charlie all capture the mood and tone of the film beautifully. This is just a story of a man who wants to make amends with his daughter before he passes on.
There are a lot of religious themes and motives throughout the film too, from stories of chance encounters, aiding the weak and unabled, being re-born and even a discussion about everlasting life. This is Aronofsky though and these things are to expected when it comes to his films and these themes merely aid the film instead of forcing the audience to think more theologically. By the end of the film you begin to understand more of who Charlie is and he gets the ending he deserves, but I will not spoil the ending as you have to see it for yourself.
★★★★☆
4/5
Final Verdict:
The Whale is a true character-piece of a film by an actor who has been shunned by the industry since his heyday. Brendan Fraser makes the come-back of the century which not a lot of actors could pull off. Fraser crafts such a candid performance in such a humbling, sensitive and graceful way. Aronofsky continues to prove that cinema doesn’t always have to be “showy” as The Whale teaches us to be better people, something a lot of films fail to do. You’ll weep, laugh and cry by the end of this thoughtful and loving film.
Thanks for reading today’s blog!
Alex Murray, the Head of Eyesight Productions
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