The Whale 2022. A reclusive English teacher attempts to reconnect with his estranged teenage daughter.
A welcome Whale of a comeback for the beloved Brendan Fraser.
The film itself is quite less pretentious and more honest than most of A24 films to date . It also has more of a down to earth straight forward delivery than most of Aronofsky’s perplexing work. Honestly with the subject matter it needed to be and relies mostly on pure emotion and struggle which is shown masterfully by Fraser.
There have been a lot of preconceived outraged overreactions and ridiculous assumptions based on the fact that Fraser is wearing a fat suit/getting prosthetics to appear as a morbidly obese person. I don’t see why this is a problem mainly due to the fact this is a film made to entertain and to do so sometimes you wear things or makeup to alter looks. It would be difficult to cast a real life person off the street and have them pour their real emotions out on screen. I don’t see that being easy.Directed by Darren Aronofsky
The Whale 2022 film left me speechless
Beautifully crafted, vulnerable, yet gripping. Extremely visceral from the get-go, starting with a memorable (and uncomfortable) first scene. It doesn’t lose its grip on you until the touching, heart-wrenching end. The camera is very opinionated in showing you a POV and it’s based on the screenwriter’s own experience struggling to connect with a younger person whilst self-medicating through food.
Critics please note – it’s not a film about fat people or being fat. At it’s heart, it’s themes are quite deep – redemption, self loathing, emotional honesty, judgement from others and the struggle to find real connection. Incredible and challenging performances, especially from Brendan and Sadie.
| Directed by | Darren Aronofsky |
| Starring | Brendan Fraser Sadie Sink Hong Chau Ty Simpkins Samantha Morton Cinematography Matthew Libatique |
| Written by | Samuel D. Hunter |
| Based on | The Whale by Samuel D. Hunter |
| Produced by | Jeremy Dawson Ari Handel Darren Aronofsky |
| Edited by | Andrew Weisblum |
| Music by | Rob Simonsen |
| Production company | Protozoa Pictures |
| Distributed by | A24 |
| Release dates | September 4, 2022 (Venice) December 9, 2022 (United States) February 3, 2023 (United Kingdom) |
| Running time | 117 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Box office | $1.6 million |
The Whale had its world premiere at the 79th Venice International Film Festival on September 4, 2022, and was released in the United States on December 9, 2022, by A24.
The film received polarising reviews, but the cast’s performances (particularly Fraser, Chau, and Sink) earned acclaim, resulting in Fraser getting nominations for Best Actor at the 80th Golden Globe Awards and the 28th Critics’ Choice Awards.