Film Review - The Whale
Images courtesy of Madman Entertainment.
Darren Aronofsky's latest feature, The Whale, is a film that comes loaded with expectations. Amid much buzz for the performances (including a viral clip of a teary-eyed Brendan Fraser during a 6-minute standing ovation after the film's premiere at Venice International Film Festival, and a handful of Oscar nominations) comes accusations of fatphobia, both for the mere use of a fatsuit, and for the film's portrayal of obesity. In either case, any movie that can get people talking should be worth checking out, right?
We follow Charlie (Fraser), an English teacher whose weight has caused him serious health problems, as a health scare prompts him to reach out to his estranged daughter, Ellie (Sadie Sink), and reevaluate his life up to this point. The entire cast is bringing their A-game, with Hong Chau and Fraser being clear standouts, with Fraser bringing a sense of clear, earnest sincerity and warmth to his performance that accentuates just how deeply hurt Charlie is, while Chau has the potentially more difficult job of balancing her frustration and compassion as his carer, Liz. It's not that any of the other performances really falter either, it's more that the script doesn't offer as many opportunities for the remaining cast members to truly shine (outside of a single scene appearance from Samantha Morton).
While I can understand the complaints being levelled at the film's handling of Charlie's weight, as it is an extremely sensitive topic for some and The Whale doesn't exactly handle it in the most delicate or nuanced fashion. For the most part though, I believe its heart is in the right place and many scenes that could be perceived as gawking at the struggles of an obese person are more clearly intended to evoke empathy. As a person who has, and does, struggle with my weight, I personally found it to be more an exploration of the various coping mechanisms people turn to as a result of trauma and/or grief. Alongside Charlie's overeating habits, Ellie smokes weed and pretends she hates everyone, and Thomas is blindly devoted to his faith in a bid for approval from his family; these act as a shield to prevent others from seeing their vulnerabilities, as well as a blanket to comfort the woes of life. It's easy to deflect your emotions if you can pretend everyone sucks, or that they all just need saving.
It's a shame that it feels like the script and direction could do with a bit more punching up, as the film's origins as a stage play are sometimes a little too obvious. However blunt its approach may be (and perhaps that obtuseness is key to something like this working for many audiences), The Whale succeeds on its emotional front, conveying a broader message of understanding and sympathy before judgement.
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The Whale is screening in cinemas from Thursday February 2nd. For tickets and more info, click here.