The Whale

Charlie [is] played brilliantly by Brendan Fraser...

There’s nothing consciously sinister about THE WHALE’s use of Charlie’s eating disorder (the original play was, in fact, written from experience), but Aronofsky’s adaptation is cruel, not just to Charlie’s character, but to all of them.

It’s such a heavy-handed approach that The Whale’s extremity risks alienating the audience from the intention.

The Whale is a moving, enveloping film that, while it very rarely departs from its stage origins, reaches the heights of emotional drama.

The pace is so repetitive, and Charlie’s small cast of visitors keep bursting through the front door so regularly, that his sitting room comes to resemble a bus depot at peak hour.

Ultimately, it alludes to things without adding up to much of anything. Still, the performances are all excellent, and Fraser is especially compelling, bringing a sincerity to Charlie, and an openness and gentleness.

I am certain that as is, The Whale (the film), struggles to say anything meaningful about people and oversells the characterizations and the relationships in a way that doesn’t feel natural.

...a project that, while certainly powerful at points, could have reached further heights if not for some very questionable calls.

However unsubtle with its messaging, “The Whale” is a devastating ode to the complexity of human beings, and the inner beauty one can find behind even the most destructive of feelings towards self and others.

“The Whale” works because Fraser, particularly his eyes and voice, and the rest of the cast deliver performances that imbue their two-dimensional characters with enough presence and emotion that they feel three dimensional.