Going in, I knew two things: The Whale would probably make me shed some tears and that Brendan Fraser's performance was hailed as Oscar worthy. Both turned out to be true. This is a devastating movie that turns even the simplest of tasks into heart break. It's easy to call this emotionally manipulative and I could understand the feeling.
The film is almost entirely focused on Charlie, a man so obese he can't stand without the support of a walker, his breathing is labored, and he can't even laugh without nearly having a heart attack. We are seeing a man very clearly at the end of his life who has eaten himself to death. As we learn more about him and supporting characters, it's easy to see how this happened to him as it has so many others who have become negligibly obese. He has tragedy in his past, has made mistakes that haunt him, and it's clear that he probably doesn't even really want to live anymore. What makes it more devastating is that he's a genuinely good guy who sees a lot of good in the world and loves people.
The almost suffocating tragedy of the film makes it come across as something so dour, so purposefully written with overwhelming sadness that you can't help but feel that it's meant to pull at the heartstrings and tears of it's audience. But it's also very reflective and considerate. Fraser's Charlie is not unrealistic or a caricature. He feels genuinely human and it's easy to relate to him. This is primarily due to the fact that he's not crafted as a monster or a depressive. He's portrayed as someone who laughs, smiles, takes joy in aspects of life, who regrets, but most of all, loves. It's clear that it is love that put him on the road that is killing him and it is love that ultimately keeps him on this road, despite pleas to go to the hospital and save himself from his one friend, his caretaker played in what is almost as good a job as Fraser by Hong Chau. She has my vote for a best supporting actress nom.
The film takes place entirely in one location and Aronofsky makes the most of it, whether it's the dramatic scenes wonderfully acted or the focus on things with deeper meaning to the Charlie. Even the lighting has wonderfully dramatic variation, from moody darkness to bright, hopeful light. This singular location requires much of it's audience, a tolerance for the kind of pain we see on screen. As mentioned, everything that might typically be taken for granted, that we might not notice, gets a spotlight here. Whether it's watching Charlie gut wrenchingly continue to devour what is killing him, like two large pizzas and a bucket of fried chicken, or watching him struggle to get into bed, it all feels like an invisible timer ticking down. It feels like every aspect of the location, every movement within, every sound, is done with purpose.
Supporting performances beyond Chau, though limited, are also fantastic, namely Sadie Sink as Charlie's daughter. Her cruelty and anger are played up here, and it's easy to dismiss her as almost villainous, but she's also relatable. She no doubt does and says things that might anger us, but it's also easy to recognize where it comes from and what's driven her to become this person, and to also see who she really is underneath. Sadie, coming fresh off her head turning performance in season 4 of Stranger Things, once again shows just how powerful of an actress she can be and how, if given the chance, she will become a star in her own right. She manages to balance out the emotional range of her character, making it look easy and if her character doesn't break your heart as much as watching Charlie has, I don't know that you can consider yourself human.
The Whale may be a movie that is too tough for people to get through. It's rarely ever joyful and moments of levity, if the exist, are brief. This is a story about a man who has missed a chance to pull back from the cliff he's brought himself too and we're on a journey of, essentially, watching him try to fulfill his final desires for those few people in his life that he loves. He's clearly a good man people want to save, but who we all realize that it would take a miracle to bring him back. I certainly cried a few times and never once felt manipulated to do so. If anything, this is a movie worth seeing for what is arguably Brendan Fraser's best performance ever.
The film is almost entirely focused on Charlie, a man so obese he can't stand without the support of a walker, his breathing is labored, and he can't even laugh without nearly having a heart attack. We are seeing a man very clearly at the end of his life who has eaten himself to death. As we learn more about him and supporting characters, it's easy to see how this happened to him as it has so many others who have become negligibly obese. He has tragedy in his past, has made mistakes that haunt him, and it's clear that he probably doesn't even really want to live anymore. What makes it more devastating is that he's a genuinely good guy who sees a lot of good in the world and loves people.
The almost suffocating tragedy of the film makes it come across as something so dour, so purposefully written with overwhelming sadness that you can't help but feel that it's meant to pull at the heartstrings and tears of it's audience. But it's also very reflective and considerate. Fraser's Charlie is not unrealistic or a caricature. He feels genuinely human and it's easy to relate to him. This is primarily due to the fact that he's not crafted as a monster or a depressive. He's portrayed as someone who laughs, smiles, takes joy in aspects of life, who regrets, but most of all, loves. It's clear that it is love that put him on the road that is killing him and it is love that ultimately keeps him on this road, despite pleas to go to the hospital and save himself from his one friend, his caretaker played in what is almost as good a job as Fraser by Hong Chau. She has my vote for a best supporting actress nom.
The film takes place entirely in one location and Aronofsky makes the most of it, whether it's the dramatic scenes wonderfully acted or the focus on things with deeper meaning to the Charlie. Even the lighting has wonderfully dramatic variation, from moody darkness to bright, hopeful light. This singular location requires much of it's audience, a tolerance for the kind of pain we see on screen. As mentioned, everything that might typically be taken for granted, that we might not notice, gets a spotlight here. Whether it's watching Charlie gut wrenchingly continue to devour what is killing him, like two large pizzas and a bucket of fried chicken, or watching him struggle to get into bed, it all feels like an invisible timer ticking down. It feels like every aspect of the location, every movement within, every sound, is done with purpose.
Supporting performances beyond Chau, though limited, are also fantastic, namely Sadie Sink as Charlie's daughter. Her cruelty and anger are played up here, and it's easy to dismiss her as almost villainous, but she's also relatable. She no doubt does and says things that might anger us, but it's also easy to recognize where it comes from and what's driven her to become this person, and to also see who she really is underneath. Sadie, coming fresh off her head turning performance in season 4 of Stranger Things, once again shows just how powerful of an actress she can be and how, if given the chance, she will become a star in her own right. She manages to balance out the emotional range of her character, making it look easy and if her character doesn't break your heart as much as watching Charlie has, I don't know that you can consider yourself human.
The Whale may be a movie that is too tough for people to get through. It's rarely ever joyful and moments of levity, if the exist, are brief. This is a story about a man who has missed a chance to pull back from the cliff he's brought himself too and we're on a journey of, essentially, watching him try to fulfill his final desires for those few people in his life that he loves. He's clearly a good man people want to save, but who we all realize that it would take a miracle to bring him back. I certainly cried a few times and never once felt manipulated to do so. If anything, this is a movie worth seeing for what is arguably Brendan Fraser's best performance ever.