'The Whale' (LFF Review): Brendan Fraser's comeback is unforgettable and as harrowing as it can get
As a writer and a journalist, I've looked at several movies and spent countless hours trying to find the right words to let people know how I felt about the movies that I have seen recently. But there are days when the entire theatre, including me, find it difficult to say how they actually felt about the film and Brendan Fraser's 'The Whale' is exactly that kind of title. As soon as the ending credits rolled in, no one had anything to say and people just kept sitting in their seats and wondering how to describe this piece of cinema.
'The Whale' is based on the 2012 play of the same name and focuses on the final days of a man named Charlie (Brendan Fraser), an online English professor who wants his students to write something authentic and reconnect with his estranged daughter Ellie (Sadie Sink). Charlie has gained a lot of weight after the tragic death of his partner. His partner's sudden demise shattered him and he started to suffer from an eating disorder. It's not easy to adapt a play into a movie because it requires the filmmaker to stay true to the source material and it can be hard to do that sometimes. Kudos to Darren Aronofsky for not missing a beat and telling the story of Charlie by restricting the movie to his (Charlie) apartment.
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Although there are many rooms in his apartment, he spends most of his time in the living room of his house where he takes his classes and eats his food. The entire movie takes place inside Charlie's house and only three people visit him frequently -- his best friend and nurse Liz (Hong Chau), his estranged and angry daughter Ellie (Sadie Sink), and a religious zealot named Thomas (Ty Simpkins). As the movie progresses and their visits get frequent, we get to know a lot about Charlie's past and all the mistakes that he has made over the years. Apart from the mistakes, we also get an idea about how tragic his life has been and how much pain he is in.
Let's be clear, this movie is all about BRENDAN FRASER. From the very first scene, you feel that this role was tailor-made for Fraser and he did everything to make the movie worth a watch. There's no doubt that Fraser will be included in the list of actors nominated for the Best Actor trophy at the Academy Awards. Whenever he is on the screen, you tend to think how beautifully he is able to convey his feelings to the viewers.
Fraser, painfully, conveys how difficult things are for his character in his life routine. Even standing up and walking feels terrifying for Charlie. Even if you just see him sitting on the sofa, you'll understand how much pain he is in and that he is just waiting for his life to end. Once again, kudos to Fraser for such a magnetic performance, and without him, 'The Whale' wouldn't have been so special.
The movie is not just about Charlie's eating disorder, it's also about grief, redemption, and regret. But it also has some moments where you feel that the abuse hurled at Charlie is getting excessive and the way people behave towards him is also pretty hard to watch. Those moments can make 'The Whale' a bit disappointing, but Charlie's composure and empathy knock everything out and you just want this man to have a happy life even when you know that his end is near.
Sadie Sink and Hong Chau have done a phenomenal job as well. They are two of the most important people in Charlie's life and are polar opposites. But Charlie loves them and knows what these people have sacrificed for him.
'The Whale' has its flaws, but the good direction and a splendid performance by Fraser make the movie memorable. Take some tissues with you whenever you see this movie because Fraser will effortlessly leave you sobbing. Beneath all the pain and trauma, the film has a very big heart.
