Venice 2022: The Whale
VENICE / A24Darren Aronofsky is not a filmmaker best known for his restraint. Ever since Pi, he has made a reputation for making dark, highly stylized, spiritual character studies set in heightened realities. All of his films are like that, from Black Swan’s horrific descent into the world of ballet, to the deconstruction of time and space in the mind-bending mother!. All of his films, except The Wrestler and The Whale. In both these features, he brought back two actors that were once beloved, putting a spotlight on their skills as performers in grounded dramas that feature little to none of the fantastical elements that often appear in his work.
The Whale is indeed a brilliant film precisely for how restrained it is. The story of Charlie, a morbidly obese man, unable to leave his apartment, trying to rekindle his relationship with his daughter, could have easily used fancy effects, intense close-ups, and disturbing imagery like in Requiem for a Dream or Pi to make the most out of the one-location narrative. Thankfully, Aronofsky strips everything down to basics, with DOP Matthew Libatique keeping the apartment dimly-lit, while the exteriors have a persistent downpour.
Fear not, however. While The Whale could potentially be a depressing film, it is refreshingly funny, and also deeply heartfelt. Brendan Fraser’s return in a major feature is very welcome, and he might just give the finest performance of his career. There are many shades to his character and his past that are slowly revealed throughout the film, each one increasing the amount of love that viewers feel for this gigantic, slow-moving man. It is perfect casting, with parts of the actor’s private life finding themselves into the film in an eerie way. It is such a touching performance, one that takes your broken heart and fixes it, and that is also thanks to the themes explored.
Like so many movies premiering at the Venice Film Festival, The Whale was shot during the pandemic, and parts of it find their way in the story. Fear of death, loneliness, isolation are something that everyone experienced over the past two years, and seeing Charlie wheelchair-bound, living in an enclosed, oppressive space filled with memories of his past is so heartbreaking and relatable that this really ends up being a crowd pleaser. It helps that so many of the interactions that Fraser has with three other actors that come and go in his apartment are often hilarious, especially when he is helped out by a nurse masterfully played by Hong Chau.
Roger Ebert said that cinema is the empathy machine, and The Whale is one of the most empathic and less cynical films to come from the United States in recent years. A powerful adaptation of Samuel D. Hunter’s play, an actors showcase for Fraser, Sadie Sink, Chau, and Ty Simpkins, and a truly inspiring film that will surely move and inspire those who watch to be more honest and positive in life. Truly one of the best of the year!