Darren Aronofsky’s The Whale is another entry in the canon of troubled souls the director seems to have made his oeuvre. Like Noah, or Randy “The Ram” Robinson from The Wrestler, or Harry Goldfarb from Requiem For a Dream, the eponymous whale of the story, Charlie (Brendan Fraser), is broken and beaten down by life. Where Charlie differs from previous Aronofsky anti-heroes, however, is in his grotesque stature. Weighing over 600 pounds and virtually immobile, Charlie’s physical appearance is a manifestation of the inner turmoil he feels – and the question is whether Aronofsky utilises this fact or exploits it.
Based on the play of the same name by Samuel D. Hunter – who also wrote the screenplay here – The Whale very much shows its theatre roots. Entirely set within the confines of Charlie’s house, with a cast of characters dropping by unannounced, we’re as restricted in our surroundings as Charlie is. Aronofsky makes the most of the space, however, expanding the story into the hallway, bedroom, and kitchen, shooting each from different angles to avoid the feeling of sameness in any given scene. It is also, perhaps unusually for Aronofsky, devoid of any real visual flair. Anyone who has seen Black Swan or Mother! might be surprised at the lack of style or depth of colour on display.
Charlie
The Whale is the story of Charlie (Brendan Fraser) an English teacher who lost his partner Alan to suicide some time ago. Charlie’s response to the trauma was to eat, and eat, and eat. Now unable to move, Charlie needs the assistance of Alan’s sister Liz (Hong Chau). Liz is Charlie’s de facto carer, looking after all his needs, from grocery shopping to health checks (she works as a nurse in a hospital). She warns Charlie that his blood pressure is so high he will be unlikely to survive the week. Given the movie starts by announcing today is Monday, we have an indication that the narrative structure is counting down to Charlie’s final day. Charlie is unmoved by his mortal predicament, caring only that he reconnects with his estranged teenage daughter Ellie (Sadie Sink) before he goes. Matters are complicated, however, by the arrival of a young Mormon-esque figure called Thomas (Ty Simpkins) from a church called New Life, who has made it his ostensible mission to save Charlie from damnation.
Charlie lives in Moscow, Idaho; a place which is home to many of the Mormon and Evangelical faith, and a place which is something of a spiritual centre in the American Heartland. This embracing of Christian conversative faith plays a large part in The Whale, particularly the idea of redemption and rescue. Most of the characters we meet are looking for their own redemption, partly because they were unable to rescue someone else: both Charlie and Liz were unable to save Alan, Ellie’s mother (Samantha Morton) is unable to save her daughter; Thomas is unable to save gentiles in the passive role the church wishes him to operate under. Each character needs to be released from their own guilt because of what they either did, was unable to do, or both.
Fatphobia
While these themes are compelling in and of themselves, there is a question as to whether Aronofsky has done them justice. Charlie’s weight, front and centre of the story of course, is dangerously close to exploitation, and in fact steps over the line on occasion. A scene featuring Charlie ravenously tearing into foodstuffs with abandon feels unnecessary as a method of highlighting the depth of his self-loathing. Furthermore, there is something of a body-horror aesthetic in the way Charlie’s massive bulk is so frequently depicted as monstrous and inhuman. The very first scene finds Charlie masturbating to porn and is as undignified as it gets. There is a very thin line between those of a larger disposition and someone whose morbid weight-gain is a sign of serious mental trauma, and it doesn’t always seem as though Aronofsky or Hunter understand that.
The Cast
Outside of the very real issues regarding The Whale’s approach to eating disorders, is the frustratingly vapid characters outside of Charlie himself. The main culprit here is Ellie. Sink plays Ellie as a completely two-dimensional cartoon villain determined to utterly destroy everyone in her path. Her sudden reappearance in Charlie’s life is meant to provide Charlie with some shot at redemption. “You are the best thing I’ve ever done in my life” he tells her, and gushes over her intelligence. But this is never in evidence throughout the movie. Ellie is vicious and cruel, and Sink never gives us reason to believe she can be – or wants to be – redeemed in any way. A clunky leitmotif involving her essay on Moby Dick is the closest we get to understanding her own turmoil, but this is used mainly as a tool for Charlie. He sees her essay as proof of her depth and constantly references it. It is oddly incongruous with the Ellie we see on screen. Sink, especially next to Fraser, never manages to provide the depth we’re told Ellie has.
Chau gives more as the frustrated Liz, at the end of her rope with Charlie’s behaviour and quickly running out of time to save him in the way she couldn’t save her brother. Liz oscillates between a smouldering kind of anger and fear and Chau allows her character room to breathe through all of these moments.
Ty Simpkins doesn’t do much better than Sink with his character. Thomas’ motivations feel askew with his actions and he never feels quite believable as someone who genuinely wants to bring Charlie to salvation. He fares better in his awkward scenes with Ellie, although the second-act monologue he delivers to her feels a little trite and overbearing.
The real star, rising head, and shoulders above the rest of the cast is Fraser. Having been lost in the Hollywood hinterlands for some time now, Fraser’s part in The Whale has been labelled as a comeback, a Brenaissance if you will. Being concealed in a fat suit seems to have been no impediment to his acting ability, Fraser is simply phenomenal as Charlie. It’s one of Fraser‘s greatest gifts that he has always been able to retain a sense of childlike wonder and softness throughout his career. It’s probably one of the things that have endeared fans all over the world to him. Charlie is caring, soft, and genuine throughout, despite everything that has happened to him. The range of emotions he displays at any given moment keeps you rooted to the spot, and rooting for him to survive this. All of that is a testament to Fraser‘s ability.
Conclusion:
Ultimately, The Whale is a fascinating story anchored by an incredible performance from Brendan Fraser. It might lose its way at times and doesn’t seem to be able to distinguish between genuine care for its moribund protagonist and exploitative gazing, but you feel its heart is in the right place.
The Whale is a return to form for Brendan Fraser. What are your favourite Brendan Fraser movies? Let us know in the comments!
The Whale had its UK premiere at the London Film Festival on Oct 11th.
Watch The Whale
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