2022 ( USA ) ( Drama )
Starring: Brendan Fraser, Sadie Sink, Ty Simpkins
Director: Darren Aronofsky
The center of gravity of “The Whale” is obviously the 600-pound man at its center. Look closely, though, and he’s the one with a soul as light as a feather. Charlie is a reclusive, morbidly obese English literature teacher unable and unwilling to stop eating himself to death. As his health woes mount and his life expectancy is put at just a week, Charlie struggles to reacquaint himself with his estranged daughter. We meet him on Monday and the film goes day by day to Friday.
Charlie is a gentle giant, not raging at his fast approaching demise. He’s an optimist and a fierce believer in truth even though there is nothing in his world reinforcing either. This devastating portrait of one man’s unyielding grief and his need to seek redemption through those closest to him, is handled with a great deal of empathy from Aronofsky, and is guaranteed to break your heart. “The Whale” is not always pleasant to watch but the payoff and performances make it an astounding film.
(1hr 47min)