The Whale
2022
***
Director: Darren Aronofsky
Cast: Brendan Fraser, Sadie Sink, Hong Chau, Ty Simpkins, Samantha Morton, Sathya Sridharan
Ever since his boyfriend committed suicide, Charlie has become a morbidly obese recluse. As death looks imminent, he hopes to reconcile with his (insufferable) teenage daughter. Brendan Fraser won a deserved Academy Award for his physically gruelling performance as Charlie, and Hong Chau is terrific as his nurse and friend Liz. However, I am unsure what the film's message is. Charlie repeatedly tells us that people are amazing, and then we are shown them to be evil, selfish, and judgmental. In one scene, Aronofsky condemns people for being disgusted by Charlie's appearance. In the next scene, we watch him eat like a pig in close-up. Samuel D. Hunter adapted his own stage play, and this really looks like one. The protagonist and the camera stay inside the apartment, and the other characters enter through the door in the back. Fraser's incredible prosthetics earned an Oscar for best makeup and hairstyling.
