‘The Whale’ Shows How Losing Someone Makes Us Lose Ourselves - Spoiler Review
Image Source: The Nerd Stash
Brendan Fraser was amongst the most beloved actors in the 90s and 00s. However, following multiple injuries from stunts and a rape allegation he made against a Hollywood socialite, he dropped out of acting for a long hiatus. In recent years, he has slowly been making a comeback that fans dubbed the “Brenaissance.” His most recent film, The Whale, proves that he never lost his touch as a leading man. Hollywood just lost sight of one of their best actors.
The opening scene of The Whale makes it clear to the viewer that it will not hold back any punches. A morbidly obese Charlie, played by Brendan Fraser, is on his couch, masturbating to gay porn, when he begins to have a heart attack. He is only saved when a knock comes on the door by a missionary who immediately springs to his aid. The missionary insists on calling 911, but Charlie refuses. Instead, he hands the boy an essay and tells him to read it to him. Believing those moments would be his last, he wanted to hear his favorite piece of writing one last time.
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This event leads to the ultimate progression of the plot within the film. Charlie learns from his friend Liz, played by Hong Chau (Watchmen), a nurse that visits him every day, that due to his heart condition, he only has a week to live if he refuses to go to the hospital any longer. His character claims not to have the money for such procedures and doesn’t want to die in debt, so he decides to face his fate and make amends in the little time he has left.
The one person Charlie seeks to reconcile with the most is his daughter, Ellie, played by Sadie Sink (Stranger Things). He had had no contact with her since she was eight, when he left her and her mother for a man he fell in love with. While he found happiness in his newfound life, he left them with only bitterness and desperation. Ellie makes it clear she still wants nothing to do with Charlie from the moment they meet again, but he is so desperate to see her through his last days that he offers her all the money he’s saved to spend time with her. She agrees, as long as he agrees to write essays for her that will keep her from flunking out of high school.
Image Source: People
Their strained relationship radiates the most prevalent theme of this film. Loss. Every character the audience meets has experienced one or multiple levels of loss. Loss of a parent, loss of a spouse, loss of trust, loss of control, loss of one’s self. Everyone is hurting, and the actors in the film portray their losses in a way that the audience won’t help but not know who is most at fault and who is most to pity. This film does a fantastic job of showing that each individual has some form of blame for the situations they’ve found themselves in a while also making it clear that the entire blame does not lie on them.
It is easy to immediately feel for the main character. Charlie is sympathetic and apologetic, but even he admits that he is at fault for his condition and the state that he has left others in through his selfishness. He is a good man; he just hasn’t made the right choices. He wants to leave the world a better place than the one he made for those he cares for. Fraser’s acting in this film is beyond astounding. He is able to make the audience feel for a flawed man and leave them looking inward by the time the credits roll. This is genuinely an Oscar-worthy performance that is sure to put the actor back on the map.
The supporting cast does just as good of a job as Fraser. Each and every character plays off of him differently. Showing the hardships of their lives and the struggles he has, directly and indirectly, put them through. Their fear and anger towards his condition and the conditions he left them in his past are palpable. Yet, while sharing similar fear and anger, they still feel individualistic in their approach. No one actor steals the scene. Instead, it meshes in a way that feels genuine to the scenarios they’ve been placed in.
The cinematography of the film is truly outstanding. It is easy to forget that the entire movie occurs in two settings: Charlie’s apartment and his porch. The angles and lighting make each corner of his home seem like its own entire world. Suiting as, for Charlie, this place has become his entire world. Charlie never leaves home. His only contact with the outside world is those who visit him and the online English class he teaches. As his weight worsened, he slowly shut himself off from everything else. His weight is especially highlighted in the scenes where he stands up in front of other characters. Each time an ominous tone plays, the audience sees the tall yet heavy stature he carries. The characters that see this look just as scared as they do sorrowfully. It is hard for them to grasp how he got to this point, but clear to Charlie.
Image Source: People
Some scenes in this film may serve as trigger warnings to some. One scene in particular shows Charlie indulging in his eating obsession to an extreme. Downing multiple large pizzas, making sandwiches out of chips and jelly, and simply stuffing his face to the point where he is throwing up. Another scene that can be harsh to witness is when Charlie berates a character as he forces them to admit that his appearance and homosexual lifestyle disgust them. This scene is both saddening and powerful. As I sat in the theater, I could see many emotions from the rest of the audience. One couple left in the middle of a particularly brutal scene, one said they had a panic attack, and by the time the credits rolled, the entire theater, including me, were streaming tears down their cheeks.
This is not to say that the film completely indulges depression. There were many scenes that evoked genuine laughter. Not laugh-out-loud comedy by any means. Instead, these laughs come from situations that felt true to life that one can’t help but chuckle at. Regardless of his condition, Charlie keeps a positive outlook on life that is infectious and will leave folks looking inwards as to how to face the struggles in their lives and have put themselves through.
Few movies could be considered perfect, but The Whale is undoubtedly one of them. It may not be everyone’s cup of tea due to some harsh imagery and themes, though these things only bolster the overall message it is trying to convey. This isn’t a film about overcoming the odds. It’s a film about owning up and working to move forward before it’s too late. This project does not only act as a return for Fraser; it may serve as a return to the senses for those who have felt too far gone.
Rating: 10/10
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Source(s): A24films
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