The Whale
A24, Darren Aronofsky & Brendan Fraser deliver a genuinely devastating story in The Whale.
The Whale explores the final week of Charlie's (Brendan Fraser) life. Charlie is a 600lb online university lecturer with rapidly declining health & many regrets in life. During his final days, Charlie attempts to make amends for his regrets, namely by reconnecting with his estranged daughter Ellie (Sadie Sink).
As a writing teacher, Charlie has a passion & obsession for all forms of writing, but there is 1 piece of writing which holds a very special place in his heart. That piece of writing is an essay about Moby Dick. Reading this essay becomes Charlie's tether to life itself when his body falters on him. As the film progresses we come to learn why this essay is so special to Charlie.
Over the course of the film, we are introduced to a very limited number of characters & relationships between said characters. These relationships are all very complex & multifaceted though. Of these limited relationships 2 in particular carry the enormous weight of the film.
Firstly there is the relationship between Charlie & his friend Liz (Hong Chau), a nurse who also takes care of Charlie. What appears to be simply friendship & patient dynamic gradually reveals itself to be much more. The relationship between these 2 characters is loving & silly but also riddled with unspoken guilt.
As the film explores the relationship between Charlie & Liz The Whale provides commentary on the state of the US healthcare system, explores the idea of enabling addiction, eating disorders, depression & suicide.
While the Charlie & Liz relationship is deep there is another relationship that is even more important in Charlie's life - the relationship, or lack thereof, that he has with Ellie.
The interactions between Charlie & Ellie centre around tough love, depression, resentment & homophobia.
Fraser & Sink deserve the highest praise for their performances during the film. Fraser conveys so much emotion through just his facial expressions & eyes. In return, Sink gives Ellie a brutality in her delivery of honesty & anger.
The Whale is an incredibly powerful film with outstanding performances. This heartbreaking story had me welling up in the cinema. It's certainly not going to be for everyone but I highly recommend it to anybody who enjoys gritty, honest, brutal reality in their stories.
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