The Whale
In Darren Aronofsky’s starkly touching drama, Brendan Fraser plays an English professor whose obsession with Melville’s Moby-Dick reflects his own current circumstances.
The teenage scream: Sadie Sink
Charlie is an English professor who takes his work, his vocation, extremely seriously. And he’s very good at what he does. At the beginning of Darren Aronofsky’s The Whale, we see Charlie hosting a group lesson on Zoom, where he states: “I know these rules can feel restraining. But remember, the point of this course is to learn how to write clearly and persuasively. That’s how you can effectively communicate your ideas.” And as the void of his profile square sits centre stage, so the camera zooms in until the whole screen is black. Charlie clearly and persuasively wants to remain invisible to his students. As he attempts to convey his passion for the Great American Novel, Herman Melville’s Moby-Dick, so it becomes apparent that he identifies with the eponymous giant whale. Charlie is suffering from congestive heart failure, his blood pressure is 238 over 134 and he has no health insurance. He weighs six hundred pounds and can barely do anything but eat.
If at times The Whale feels stage-bound, it does reflect its protagonist’s claustrophobic point of view, much as The Father did for Anthony Hopkins’ central character suffering from dementia. This is the world that Charlie occupies, alongside his Zoom lessons, his mobile phone calls and the remote of his TV. Even the act of standing up is nigh impossible, at least without help. The smallest things we take for granted have become virtually insurmountable for Charlie, such as picking something up off the floor…
The world of the morbidly obese has all but been ignored by the cinema (the genuinely obese Darlene Cates in What’s Eating Gilbert Grape was a rare exception). However, the condition makes for gripping drama as there are so many layers of character (psychologically and literally) to peel away. Charlie cannot bear to be seen in his current state, and he lies to his students that the camera on his laptop is inoperative, even though he abhors dishonesty in others. Adapted by Samuel D. Hunter from his own play, the film does suffer from a certain theatricality and at times it does tip over into Edward Albee-ness. But it’s a damned fine play and Darren Aronofsky allows it to speak for itself.
It was Aronofsky who rejuvenated Mickey Rourke’s standing when the director cast him in the title role of The Wrestler, which won the actor his first Oscar nomination. Likewise, Brendan Fraser, whose career would seem to have all but vanished, is virtually guaranteed an Oscar nomination in two weeks’ time. Just as Charlie’s gross exterior hides a brilliant mind, so there’s a real talent beneath those drapes of flab – and his name is Brendan Fraser. It’s quite a swing from the part that made Fraser’s name, as the sculpted, six-packed George in George in the Jungle (1997). But Fraser is not alone. Hong Chau shines yet again (after exemplary turns in Downsizing and The Menu), as Charlie’s helper, while Sadie Sink (Stranger Things) gives a stinging rendition as the spiteful daughter Charlie hasn’t seen for nine years. At times there is a hint of over-acting but the material is so strong that the gut-wrenching finale is guaranteed to tear you apart.
JAMES CAMERON-WILSON
Cast: Brendan Fraser, Sadie Sink, Hong Chau, Ty Simpkins, Samantha Morton.
Dir Darren Aronofsky, Pro Jeremy Dawson, Ari Handel and Darren Aronofsky, Screenplay Samuel D. Hunter, from his own play, Ph Matthew Libatique, Pro Des Mark Friedberg and Robert Pyzocha, Ed Andrew Weisblum, Music Rob Simonsen, Costumes Danny Glicker, Sound Coll Anderson, Make-up Des Adrien Morot, Dialect coach Tim Monich.
Protozoa Pictures-A24 Films.
117 mins. USA. 2022. US Rel: 9 December 2022. UK Rel: 3 February 2023. Cert. 15.
