YNOT at the Movies

It's hard to believe that it has been thirty years since Brendan Fraser gave his breakthrough performance as a prep school football player in "School Ties" (1992). In the director Darren Aronofsky's suffocating drama "The Whale" (USA 2022 | 117 min.), his performance as an obese man can be characterized as his new career breakthrough. Obviously, this time his screen appearance is at the extreme opposite to his heartthrob image thirty years ago. However, his gentle and sensitive portrait of a grieving soul is deeply moving and mesmerizing.

Even though the film is based on Samuel Hunter's stage play, this cinematic adaptation never leaves the setting of a gloomy apartment, where its protagonist, Charlie (Brendan Fraser) always has his window blinds closed and his door unlocked, so others can get in without his intervention. As if that's not depressing enough, the rain outside the window almost never stop.

Over 600 lbs and barely able to get out of his couch, Charlie lives alone in this apartment in Idaho. It's on the second floor of an apartment complex without an elevator, which means he probably has not been outside for years. He teaches an online writing course at a university, but he tells his students that his laptop camera is broken, so that he can hide his horrific physical condition. He doesn't have health insurance and refuses to go to the hospital despite his blood pressure level being at a life-threatening level. Besides a random missionary Thomas (Ty Simpkins), the only frequent visitor who comes to provide Charlie with some care is Liz (Hong Chau), a nurse who has a hot temper but also a big heart.

Soon we learn that Liz is not just a friend, she is the adoptive sister of Charlie's late partner, Alan, whose gay sexuality was not accepted by their pastor father. Charlie is grieving the loss of Alan and eats himself into a tremendous pile of fat. Besides the grief, Charlie is also consumed by guilt for leaving his daughter Ellie (Sadie Sink) for Alan when she was eight years old.

After the divorce, Charlie's wife Mary (Samantha Morton) cuts Ellie out of Charlie's life. Nine years later, when Charlie is dying from obesity, the 17-year-old Ellie shows up at Charlie's apartment and fires off her anger and resentment toward Charlie. But Charlie hopes this is a final chance for him to reconnect with her and offers her with his savings as his redemption.

It's difficult to watch Brendan Fraser's labored breathing as Charlie and how he stuffed himself with fried chicken or meatball sandwiches, but it's the pain in his heart that resonates with us even more. He is not only physically, but also emotionally suffering. Yet, he still has hope in others, and believes in kindness and caring in humanity.

However, I keep wondering whether Charlie's obesity is necessary to this character. Would the audience sympathize with him just as much if he were not in such an obese stage? Some other characters are also a little bit off-putting. Even though Ellie has every reason to be angry at Charlie for his abandonment, her relentless outbursts seem excessive and become repetitive. And that missionary Thomas should have been cut from the film altogether.

In addition to Brendan Fraser's excellent performance, Hong Chau is also incredibly impressive as Liz. But no matter how much you like their acting, you can't wait to get out of that dark filthy apartment.

"The Whale" opens in the San Francisco Bay Area on Wednesday, December 21, 2022.