The Whale

The Whale is a balanced mix of intimate psychology and touching sentiment. It is engaging primarily thanks to its main character, the likes of which cinema has not seen before, as he is shocking in his appearance and studying his inner self is enjoyable. Brendan Fraser is excellent with incredible make-up and is supported perfectly by Sadie Sink in the role of his daughter. Their encounters overflow with unspoken emotions and anger over the hurt on one side and regret on the other. Yes, Fraser’s character pities himself too much and his discovery of the importance of sincerity in life is laughable, but even so, The Whale remains a beautiful and sensitive film that doesn’t lack artistic investment by its creator. (05/03/2023)

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. (02/11/2022)

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. (05/03/2023)

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. (30/12/2022)

I dare say that this dense and intense human drama with well-drawn characters is definitely one of the best movies that directorial magician Darren Aronofsky has made so far. In my opinion, it has a lot to say about contemporary interpersonal relations. On the surface, it may seem like a simple story about a stout man overeating, but I personally think that The Whale reflects the state of today's Western society in a very artful and sad way. Aronofsky's movie requires greater sensitivity and patience, but it richly rewards the audience with psychological depth and truthfulness. If you accept the plot without preconceptions and let it wash over you, you will experience a stronger catharsis at the end. I would never have dreamed that I would ever wish Brendan Fraser an Oscar, but he really deserves it for his utterly convincing portrayal of the morbidly obese good guy Charlie. But the list of great performances certainly doesn't end there. Sadie Sink is also excellent as the rebellious daughter Ellie, and Hong Chau as Charlie's caring friend is also very interesting. (90%) (13/03/2023)