“A reclusive, morbidly obese English teacher attempts to reconnect with his estranged teenage daughter.” – IMDb
The Whale (2023)
Starring
Brendan Fraser, Sadie Sink, Hong Chau, Samantha Morton, Ty Simpkins
Directed by
Darren Aronofsky
Written by
Samuel D. Hunter
Box Office:
Storyline
The film begins with an instructor teaching what appears to be an English class over Zoom. While this doesn’t seem odd- especially after living through the times of COVID when Zoom classes became more of a norm- you discover there is another reason behind the virtual courses. Charlie, played by Brendan Fraser, is an obese recluse who relies on his only friend Liz (Hong Chau) for minimal healthcare. It becomes evident very early on that Charlie’s health is declining due to congestive heart failure. While Liz urges Charlie to go to the hospital, he refuses to go, claiming he cannot afford such a hefty medical bill.
Throughout the film, you see examples of how Charlie’s weight affects his life.
During the act of moving from his couch to his bed, he begins to recite from memory one of the essays written by a student concerning Moby Dick:
In the first part of his book, the
The Whale Screenplay
author, calling himself Ishmael, is
in a small sea-side town and he is
sharing a bed with a man named
Queequeg.
For more information concerning all of the meanings behind The Whale, Colossus can offer amazing insight, here. It should be advised to read their article after watching the film, as there are many spoilers.
We then meet his daughter, Ellie (Sadie Sink of Stranger Things fame), whom he is estranged. We learn that they’ve been estranged since she was 8 years old, caused by him choosing his lover, Alan. As Ellie begins to leave his home, she pauses upon hearing he is willing to pay her ($120,000) to spend time with him. Ellie only agrees once Charlie promises to do her homework for her.
During the scene of them trying to come to an agreement, Ellie asks Charlie to get up and walk towards her. He tries and collapses after barely making it a foot towards her. The same night, Liz makes her disapproval of the arrangement known. “She shouldn’t be around you while you’re like this”. He explains that he’s worried about his daughter, showing Liz Ellie’s Facebook page which shows disturbing images and lack of friendships. During the same visit, Charlie begins to choke on a piece of food lodged in his throat, which causes Liz to become even more upset. Of course, he apologizes. It’s 33 minutes into the movie and you can already tell that Charlie is no stranger to apologizing.
“Someone close to me passed away and it had an effect on me”.
When Ellie asks him why he has gained so much weight, Charlie’s response is limited but offers all of the information necessary. Soon after, he retreats to the washroom and sobs. At this time, Thomas, a missionary for the New Life Church who wants to save Charlie, drops by for another unscheduled visit. He meets Ellie and seems intrigued by her blunt ways.
Charlie and Thomas proceed to discuss the beliefs of New Life Church, and their opposing views are evident. Even so, Thomas tells Charlie that all he wishes to do, is help. During one of Liz’s visits, she runs into Thomas and her reluctance to this new friendship is not hidden. “Just stay away from him; he doesn’t need this right now”. It shows that even with their albeit complicated relationship, she is extremely protective of him.
As the film progresses, to put it very generally, the battle between the medical field and spiritual/religious guidance meet head-to-head. Then, Liz and Thomas have a personal discussion and we discover that her brother was the love of Charlie’s life. The conversation gets a tad heated and only comes to an end when Charlie makes his presence known. The rest of the film involves the Father/Daughter relationship and how each person is meant to move forward, both individually and as part of a family dynamic. It’s complicated, messy and beautiful. Sidenote: if you suffer from any condition that deals with binge eating, or if you have a sensitive relationship with food in general, be mindful of the content you’re about to watch.
Thoughts
After hearing about the film for several months, I was excited to finally watch it. Afterwards, I drafted this post and there it remained, with only a brief outline completed for half a year. I have since rewatched it twice, hoping that what I wanted to say would somehow find its way into this article. But, like a lump in the throat that simply won’t go away, my thoughts feel stuck. Overall, did I enjoy The Whale? Yes, I did. Do I feel like a changed person after seeing it? No. If I had ever treated those going through physical or emotional turmoil poorly, perhaps I would have felt a certain level of guilt, or shame. Instead, it makes me reflect on my past and how I simply hope I have never been the type to instantly judge. For this reason, I will say the film is thought provoking.
The Whale is heartfelt and full of emotion that left me in tears after I watched it the first time. The second and third time I watched it allowed me to see the film with unassuming eyes, and I still really enjoyed it. It’s one of those films that leaves you with something different each time you watch it.
While looking into the film after my first viewing…
I discovered an article written for Vanity Fair by Savannah Walsh titled Director Darren Aronofsky responded to the controversy by defending the film saying the criticisms “make no sense”. In it, she writes:
Vanity FairAronofsky said that “actors have been using makeup since the beginning of acting—that’s one of their tools. And the lengths we went to portray the realism of the makeup has never been done before”, adding that “people with obesity are generally written as bad guys or as punch lines, we wanted to create a fully worked-out character who has bad parts about him and good parts about him”. He said of fat people that “they get judged everywhere they go on the planet, by most people. This film shows that, like everyone, we are all human”.
I will say that they definitely succeeded in making Fraser’s character have both good and bad parts about him. Regardless of his size, he is human and feels human emotions- something I would hope everyone already realizes. Not only that but he, too, makes human mistakes. I find it incredible how easily a person’s appearance can deter people from viewing them as human beings.
While I wish that I had a more optimistic view on human nature, I’m not sure that this will be the film that sways a person from thinking a certain way. Although, I hope with all of my heart that it does have such an impact. Fraser does a beautiful job of connecting with the audience, Sink makes you feel torn to pieces, and Chau makes you feel the heartbreaking feeling of being saddened and frustrated all at once by being unable to have a magical cure. To say this film makes you feel an array of emotions is quite accurate. But, how much you allow yourself to feel may make the film a hit or a miss.
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