Whale ★★★★
DRAMA (2022)
Directed by: Darren Aronofsky
InterpretationsCast: Brendan Fraser, Samantha Morton, Sadie Sink

The Whale pushes you to find your humanity in characters who are neither good nor bad. They all made mistakes, but they are united by the desire to love.”

One of the best films we saw at the last Venice Film Festival comes out this week in theaters in limited release (and usually from next Thursday 12.1). After several less successful large-scale productions, Darren Aronofsky is returning to more minimalistic ways, proving why he is considered one of the greatest directors of his generation. Here he adopts a screenplay by Samuel D. Hunter, based on his play of the same name, which stars Charlie (Brendan Fraser), an extremely obese English teacher living as a hermit. However, his rapidly declining health will prompt him to reunite with his estranged daughter in a last-ditch attempt at redemption.

Almost everything starts and ends with main character Brendan Fraser putting on a mind-blowing performance that will surely take him to the upcoming Oscars. Aronofsky, for his part, “accepts” the fact that almost all of his story takes place within the four walls of Charlie’s house, directing masterfully and managing to make otherwise twisted, if not entirely edgy, images interesting.

The American film director, apparently in harmony with his screenwriter, does not waste time on embellishment: on the contrary, he presents the hero in all his disgusting glory; inside, however, this fat man hides a sharp mind and (most of all) a tender heart that carries deep trauma from the past. The Whale pushes you to find your humanity in characters who are neither good nor bad, who have a rich and complex inner world. They’ve all made mistakes, but what they have in common is a desire to love, even when others seem repulsive. This is a story that asks the ultimate question: can we save each other? This is important today, especially when people seem to be turning their backs on their neighbor.”

Of course, this does not mean that only drama and emotional stress fall on the viewer, on the contrary, (black) humor and self-sarcasm work beneficially, at least until the final part of the film, where many eyes are unlikely to remain with tears in their eyes. Finally, noteworthy is the presence of the young Sadie Sink, whom we met on Stranger Things, and here she plays Charlie’s daughter.