A WHALE OF A MOVIE

‘The Whale’ is a movie that leaves you heartbroken but satisfied. You root for the protagonist so much that you wish the story had ended differently, because you desperately want him to find redemption, and the happiness that he seeks, and so evidently deserves.

The movie is based on a play by its screenwriter Samuel D Hunter, and is staged just like one, with all of the story unfolding in just one location, barely stepping out of the living room that the morbidly obese protagonist Charlie, a reclusive English teacher played in heartbreaking detail by Brendan Fraser lives in.

The story begins with Charlie almost dying, but saved in the nick of time by the reading of a particular essay on the classic novel Moby Dick, by a total stranger who happens to come by. As the story progresses through his desperate attempts to reconnect with his troubled teenaged daughter Ellie (whom he hasn’t seen in eight years), it reveals Charlie’s character in peeling layers, and his tragically complicated relationship with the world he lives in and the people that inhabit it — his beloved Ellie, his estranged wife Mary, his nurse Liz, his deceased lover Alan. The world appears to have misjudged and punished him at all turns while he remained faithful to his convictions.

Through a series of events and revelations, Charlie navigates his way to his own redemption. Or does he? Watch it to find out, no spoilers here! Several moments in the movie will make you reflect on your own relationships, and your own place in this world, and Charlie will make you weep at how cruel the world can be, despite all the goodness within people. ‘The Whale’ (and Moby Dick) becomes both a metaphor and a mirror, crushing you with its portrait of despair and hope that feels intensely real.

While the world of movie critics has been divided in its reception of the movie, especially polarized on the opinion of the portrayal of obesity and the main character (some people even objecting to the use of prosthetic makeup that makes Brennan Fraser appear obese), it certainly looks like the makers have done justice to the written character.

Watch it for Fraser’s Oscar-winning performance, of course! And this is not taking away from any other performance in the movie, especially Hong Chau’s Liz and a one-scene performance by Samantha Morton as Mary. This is good stuff.

Side Note: An interesting thing about this movie is its aspect ratio, 4:3, an unusual choice in today’s world, sparingly used by the likes of Wes Anderson for stylistic effect. In the case of ‘The Whale’ though, there are some very practical reasons for it. The main character is severely obese, and spends most of the screentime seated, which necessitated the use of a taller frame of reference. A wider aspect ratio such as the filmic 2.35:1 would have not had the same effect, and would’ve required too many long shots to accommodate the character’s full frame in the scene.

MORE INFORMATION HERE:

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt13833688/