The Whale

The Whale is a balanced mix of intimate psychology and touching sentiment. It is engaging primarily thanks to its main character, the likes of which cinema has not seen before, as he is shocking in his appearance and studying his inner self is enjoyable. Brendan Fraser is excellent with incredible make-up and is supported perfectly by Sadie Sink in the role of his daughter. Their encounters overflow with unspoken emotions and anger over the hurt on one side and regret on the other. Yes, Fraser’s character pities himself too much and his discovery of the importance of sincerity in life is laughable, but even so, The Whale remains a beautiful and sensitive film that doesn’t lack artistic investment by its creator. (05/03/2023)

In terms of sentimentality and weepiness, Darren Aronofsky takes it to absurd lengths, and while I don't feel that it ever slips into the realms of emotional blackmail, I imagine that many viewers will have a big problem with this. I was able to get over it, mainly thanks to the almost hypnotic performance of the lead actor. Yeah, if there's anything about this movie that really needs to be highlighted and remembered, it's Brendan Fraser. He simply pulls it off on his weight as far as his heart and blood vessels will take him, and the whole film relies on his performance. I was also pleased to see that Aronofsky went for a more civil, intimate and straightforward material and was not as overly pretentious this time as he is wont to be. He could have cut down a bit on the tearfulness, but it's definitely a morbidly fat thumbs up for me. (05/10/2022)

In my opinion, The Whale is Aronofsky's second best film, after The Fountain. It isn’t nasty like Requiem for a Dream, nor is it bloated like Black Swan or weepy and formulaic like Wrestler (although it has a lot in common with the latter), but this time it just worked. Although the story doesn't really surprise with anything, it's so well written (you can see the theatrical backbone), acted (Brendan Fraser is brilliant, I'm rooting for him) and filmed (we practically don't leave the apartment, but it doesn't matter) that my cautious curiosity turned into enthusiasm pretty quickly. But I must also praise Sadie Sink and Hong Chau, without whom Charlie would not be Charlie, and I must not forget Simonsen's music. I was originally going to give it four stars, but after a couple of days my reservations melted away under the weight (ahem) of all the unexpectedly positive things the film brought. (05/03/2023)

Knowing Darren Aronofsky is directing, you can expect pure human suffering. This film is emotionally intense but impossible to watch without being completely absorbed from the start. Brendan Fraser is nearly unrecognizable and delivers a performance that's nothing short of divine. The Whale is a prime example of a film designed to wring every emotion out of you. When a movie can do that, you're guaranteed an unforgettable experience. (09/03/2023)

Who would have expected such drama from the combination of A24 and Darren Aronofsky? Until a few months ago, probably no one. But the result is superior art that is more or less unparalleled in modern cinema. On the one hand, very sensitive, on the other hand, a depressing, gloomy, dark and almost artistically poetic drama and a devastating collision with reality that at times makes you feel physically sick. Brendan Fraser has always been a mediocre lead actor, but here it's purely his one man show and the role of a lifetime that will be remembered from this day forward and after which he will be referred to as "that actor from The Whale", because such an iconic role will go down in history and be celebrated for a long time to come. Character-wise polished, actor-wise perfect and director-wise masterful, in short, it's clear that everyone here has a perfect sense of scene and can create unexpectedly intense atmosphere and feelings of tension within an "ordinary" drama. I didn't believe that The Whale could be that good a film, but now I know that all the recent awards and titles it has won are simply rightful. (06/03/2023)