The Whale: a movie review by Alex First
The Whale is the film that excites me more than any other since lockdown.
While the story itself is remarkable, it is the acting that has me champing at the bit to recommend it.
It is all set in a small, rundown, first-floor apartment in Idaho.
Charlie (Brendan Fraser) is morbidly obese. His blood pressure is off the charts and he is suffering from congestive heart failure.
He can hardly move and barely gets by with the aid of a Zimmer Frame.
Middle-aged, he lives alone in the apartment he never leaves.
He gorges himself. He orders his food in and that means lots of carbs and sugar, including daily pizzas.
Charlie is an online university English teacher who encourages his students to be bold and express their honest feelings in writing.
One day, out of the blue, he is visited by a young Christian missionary, Thomas (Ty Simpkins), who arrives just as Charlie is having a severe medical episode.
But he, point blank, refuses to go to hospital (he claims it is because he has no health insurance).
Rather, he relies upon daily visits from a nurse friend, Liz (Hong Chau).
She and Charlie both recognise that the end is near for him. Notwithstanding her frustration at his intransigence in seeking appropriate medical attention, she does what she can to help.
Liz is also frustrated by the arrival of the bible basher. During the course of the movie, we find out why.
Importantly, we also discover that Charlie used to be married to Mary (Samantha Morton).
But he left her and their then eight-year-old daughter Ellie nine years ago after he started a love affair with a male student.
He hasn’t seen Ellie since. Unexpectedly, the now wild and angry child (played by Sadie Sink as a 17-year-old) re-enters his life.
That happens after Charlie promises to help her write essays in an endeavour to get her through school, which she is failing.
My descriptor has barely brushed the surface of what is going down here.
But I am not about the spoil the surprise, nor the reward one gets by watching this very special film.
The Whale has the appearance of a totally involving theatrical piece.
That is not surprising, given it has been written by Samuel D. Hunter, based on his own acclaimed 2012 play of the same name.
Academy Award-nominated director Darren Aronofsky (Black Swan) has woven a substantive tale in which the gradual reveals help build the full picture.
The title refers to an essay about Herman Melville’s Moby-Dick that Ellie wrote and could cruelly refer to Charlie’s size.
The film benefits enormously from a series of stellar and memorable performances from the small cast.
They are headlined by Brendan Fraser as you have never seen him.
It is an Oscar-worthy turn, complete with breathlessness and physical impairment.
He brings desperation and stoicism to the role.
He is repugnant and alluring as Charlie.
Sadie Sink mesmerises, too, as his vitriolic, estranged daughter, with a massive chip on her shoulders.
Her delivery is nothing short of astounding, each barb hitting its mark with remarkable clarity and conviction. She has talent in spades and I long to see what she does next.
Hong Chau, who recently captivated audiences with her no holds barred performance in The Menu, backs it up with another “look at me” showing.
She is such a rounded and accomplished actor who seems to have a fine understanding of the human condition.
In this case, in equal measure, she brings desperation, anger, love, understanding and acceptance to her persona.
For his part, Ty Simpkins readily channels the dichotomy that is the hallmark of the Christian zealot with a skeleton or two in the closet.
The intense character focus in cinematographer Matthew Libatique’s lens also greatly benefits the production.
It is as if we are eyeing off windows to their souls.
The Whale is a film of rare quality that worked its way into my psyche as only the finest offerings can.
It is “must-see” material that deserves to be heavily feted in the upcoming awards season.
Rated M, it scores a 9 out of 10. Running time 117 minutes
