The Whale

Product Information

A reclusive English teacher suffering from severe obesity attempts to reconnect with his estranged teenage daughter for one last chance at redemption.

cinematographer Matthew Libatique discuss some of the challenges in shooting in a small, cloistered space while at the same trying to keep things occasionally too mannered and at times kind of almost ridiculous, as evidenced by some of the interplay between Ellie and Thomas in particular, but As for the "pretentious" aspect ratio...? I was too busy watching Fraser's excellent performance to notice. levels on things like Charlie's balding head or even some of the fabrics on his couch are precisely rendered. This is another Blu-ray from Lionsgate that The Whale comes with a great 1080p HD transfer that immediately sets the tone. The film's visuals are not meant to be bright or even made to live in a bubble-gum world of action and fantasy.visually interesting. Aronofsky overtly mentions "returning" to repeated uses of dollies, which help to keep the visuals kinetic, even if Charlie This is the very paradigm of a so-called "actors' piece", and the performances in the film are its ultimate calling card. Hunter's screenplay is Sadie Sink in particular, help this film to elide some at times clunky and overly theatrical writing (the project began life as a play, and playwright a "fat suit" to play a morbidly obese character, and evidently some have insisted a real morbidly obese performer should have been hired The personal relationships in the film, especially those between Charlie and Liz and Charlie and Ellie, often ring true, even if the overall context here

scheduled to air in just a few hours as I'm typing this sentence. Fraser is unabashedly disturbing from a physical standpoint, but it's the sweetness Every actor here turns in an amazing performance. Chau is wonderfully blunt and sweet at the same time and is grieving in her own way. Sink continues to impress with her range of emotions from anger to empathy in her dry, mean wit conversing with her dad. She's simply amazing. But it's Fraser's performance that is on another level completely. Brendan Fraser is not seen here. It's the full character of Charlie that's on-screen at all times. Fraser's physical performance and nuanced movements of somebody in this dire situation are unbelievably tremendous and his delivery of every line is spot on with the right amount of positivity and loss. It's a marvel to watch. The Whale is one of the best films of the year and will enhance every emotion in the human body. Charlie sees only one person, his friend Liz (Hong Chau), a nurse who visits him often and does as much for his health as he will allow. Recognizing how badly his health has deteriorated, Liz urges him to go to the hospital but he refuses. Knowing death is near, he wants only one thing before he dies—to mend the broken relationship with his daughter, Ellie (Sadie Sink), whom he was forced to abandon when his marriage ended because he loved another man. Actors have been known to change their appearance dramatically for a film role. Charlize Theron ( Monster), Christian Bale ( The Machinist), Jared Leto ( Dallas Buyers Club), and Robert De Niro ( Raging Bull) come to mind. Darren Aronofsky’s The Whale, based on a play and subsequent screenplay by Samuel D. Hunter, features an amazing physical transformation of an actor into a character. Simpkins), a "door to door" missionary who is perhaps surprisingly (given this film's Idaho locale) not a Mormon, though semi-hilariouslySamuel D. Hunter's writing wasn't especially good -- say, as good as something David Mamet would have penned. Hunter wasn't very subtle. "Look at the fat guy! Go on and LOOK at him! Isn't he a tragic figure?! And aren't I brilliant for pointing out the tragic nature of his situation?!" excellent detail levels throughout, at least when lighting conditions allow. The entire film has been graded somewhat unusually toward a kind of ochre At the 28th Critics' Choice Awards, Fraser was named Best Actor. He also got nominations for Best Actor at the 80th Golden Globe Awards, 29th Screen Actors Guild Awards, 76th British Academy Film Awards, and 95th Academy Awards. It speaks volumes about how well Brendan Fraser did in the film. A reclusive English teacher suffering from severe obesity attempts to reconnect with his estranged teenage daughter for one last chance at redemption. (less)

and vulnerability he brings to Charlie that really helps to bring the character fully alive. There have of course been complaints about Fraser donning People Are Amazing: Making The Whale (HD; 24:33) is an above average featurette with several good interviews with Days of Summer ) supporting the film gently in the lossless transfer. Lionsgate offer optional EnglishDescription: From Darren Aronofsky comes The Whale, the story of a reclusive English teacher living with severe obesity who attempts to reconnect with his estranged teenage daughter for one last chance at redemption. Starring Brendan. Fraser and based on the acclaimed play by Samuel D. Hunter. in portraying a teen girl who is obviously dealing with any number of "issues" (along with being estranged from Charlie, it turns out Mary is an The 95th Academy Awards are scheduled to air in just a few hours as this review is being published, and many online data aggregators more or less Meanwhile, Thomas (Ty Simpkins; Jurassic World), a young, Christian, missionary, discovers Charlie and decides it is his quest to help Charlie find the word of God. Liz (Hong Chau; The Menu), Charlie's only friend, despises Thomas because she was adopted by the preacher of the church where Thomas worships and blames her brother's suicide on the church. Liz, whose brother was Charlie's partner, works in the medical field so she takes care of Charlie, who can't do much on his own anymore. With every visit from Ellie, Thomas, and Liz, Charlie becomes more desperate to connect with Ellie, while everything around him spirals out of control.