Critics have sure sung their praises for Darren Aronofsky’s emotional drama The Whale, adapted from Samuel D. Hunter's play of the same name. The movie had its world premiere at the 79th Venice International Film Festival on September 4, 2022 before having its North American premiere at the 2022 Toronto International Film Festival on September 11, 2022, where Brendan Fraser received the Tribute Award for Performance (and a three-minute standing ovation) for his leading role.

Known for his role in The Mummy franchise, Fraser makes a splash in this new movie as he steps into the role of a 600-pound English professor, Charlie. Visually and physically, the actor commits to the role, glimmering under a constant sheen of sweat and navigating his character's life using various handicap accessibility tools. He also dons a 300-pound fat suit (among other prosthetics), which has evoked some critique from spectators, both commenting on the specificity of his portrayal and the general usage of fat suits in Hollywood. It's fair to say that he's gotten off easier than Sarah Paulson in Impeachment: American Crime Story and other offenders, and perhaps that's credited to the challenging nature of the role and the genuineness of Fraser's performance.

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Established from the very beginning, Charlie is more than what meets the eye. We meet him as an online professor, one who is too shy and insecure to turn on his camera while teaching over Zoom. "Is your camera still broken?" a student asks. He is a critically kind man who is dedicated to his students and encourages them to write what they feel, not what they think he wants to hear. He apologizes needlessly, oftentimes for merely existing as if he's taking up too much space (a notion known all too well by women), despite reassurance and support from his friend and nurse, Liz, played by a very-giving Hong Chau.

But here's the kicker: Charlie is dying and the movie plays out like a ticking time bomb with time stamps on the screen, naturally building anticipation and dread among its viewers. Like many overweight people, Charlie avoids hospitals, and while he doesn't credit it to the oftentimes demeaning experiences plus-size individuals face in medical settings, it may play a role given his intense insecurities. However, playing a bigger role is the cost of medical care in the United States as he insists that a trip to the ER may cause him to go bankrupt. These is just some of the brilliant commentary The Whale offers, addressing both the failure of the United States culture and healthcare system, which have contributed to making people feel ashamed of their bodies and keeping them from accessing adequate care.

Through Aronofsky's lens, obesity is viewed similarly to addiction. It is insinuated that Charlie is unable to stop binging on food, which is technically considered an eating disorder. His draw to this coping mechanism is sparked by the loss of his partner, Alan, for whom he derailed his entire life for. There are scenes where the man grapples with whether to resort to his unhealthy eating habits and oftentimes finds himself gravitating to them mechanically, specifically during times of sadness and distress.

Upon learning of his own unfortunate demise, Charlie decides to reconnect with his estranged daughter, Ellie, played by Sadie Sink from Stranger Things fame. Carrying an identity shaped by her father's sudden absence at age eight and her mother's distance and alcoholism, Ellie is a firecracker of angst and righteous anger. She hurls slurs at her father, bringing the man to tears, and they eventually strike up a deal: She gets a few hundred thousand dollars and some school papers revised in exchange for spending time with the lonely man. This storyline plays out predictably and dominates the movie, but with such sharp dialogue and intimate direction that it flows naturally.

At its surface, The Whale is about a dysfunctional family in denial of their journey coming to an end, but with a careful script and brilliant performances from all (Oscar nom predictions for Sink and Fraser), it transports itself to much more. The tearjerker becomes a tragic exploration of grief, heartbreak, and addiction. It becomes a story about a man, with an unwavering belief in humanity, who seemingly gave up on himself before the world was ready to let him go.

The Whale will release theatrically on December 9, 2022.

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