The Whale (2022) Review - Dylan McCully

Written by Dylan McCully, 10/16/22

Darren Aronofsky's latest film doesn't change my opinion of him as a director. The Whale is a well acted drama adapted straight from the stage, and it's concept, in theory, is fantastic. It's a human story, similar to The Wrestler (maybe too similar in some departments. Also too many similarities to The Fountain.) and will make most feel emotional or cry. The makeup is very believable, and the visuals are consistently interesting for a one set movie. There are moments in the film where Brendan Frasier pours his heart out, whether to his wife, daughter, friend or guy he just met that feel so real, so gut wrenching. But, there are also some script issues that I will get to later. This was viewed at the Chicago International Film Festival, with Aronofsky in attendance. There was an interview after the film, and I enjoyed to hear the behind the scenes details and his experience when shooting. There was then a brief audience Q&A. I raised my hand and had this to say:

Dylan (Myself): "So I just want to say I really enjoyed the film, and kind of relating to this [the previous answer mentioned finding the meaning in life], I thought of Monty Python's: The Meaning of Life, just a scene where Terry Jones is dressed up as someone of a similar stature [referring to the Mr. Creosote sketch, where Terry Jones plays a ridiculously fat person who throws up and eats a lot like Brendan Frasier does in the film, although in a comedic setting], but anyway to the question: I was rewatching some of your older films from Pi all the way up to The Wrestler just this morning, [some chuckles from the crowd], I know that's a lot of movies [some more chuckles from the crowd], what is the one thing that's changed the most since first starting in film, and what's one thing that you've carried with you throughout your entire filmography?"

Aronofsky: "[jokingly] Tough questions tonight."

Interviewer: "Chicago cinephiles."

The film stars Brendan Frasier as a fat (no, really fat) online english teacher named Charlie who is confined to his house. He once was married, with a daughter, who he left when she was only 8. The reason for this: to start a relationship with a male student of his. After his partner dies, Charlie gets fatter and fatter, until he is near the brink of death. His partner's adopted sister, Liz, acts as his nurse and only friend during this time. Liz is played by Hong Chau in a relatively strong performance. This missionary guy named Tyler comes to Charlie's house and it turns out that his religion is related to Liz's family and that it was the true reason for Charlie's boyfriends death. That sounds a little convenient but it's fine for what it is. Charlie eventually invites his daughter Ellie, played by Sadie Sink, to his house, but is greeted with insults and aggravation, deservedly so. Their relationship obviously changes, or we have no movie, so they do some family bonding. Once the mother comes into the picture, we get some great monologues and emotional moments, along with secrets that reveal motivations, yada yada yada. Visually each scene is in Charlie's house, which is reminescent of Aronofsky's last film, Mother, but it didn't feel as confined as Mother, it felt more natural. The reason for the title of the film is not just because he looks like a human whale, but because of his daughter's English essay that he cherishes. He read it over and over because it was like hearing her speak. It's introduced early into the movie, and I don't consider it a spoiler that it's from Ellie, because seriously who else would it be from. Some of the family reconnecting scenes get a bit schmaltzy, but most of it, especially from Frasier, feels raw.

Aronofsky: "Look, I don't think the job changes too much, it's whatever you're trying to do, it's always hard to get them going, then when you get them going it's hard to balance time, money, locations, etc. It's still that same fight no matter how big or how small they get. We have a lot of fun on set. We've always had fun on set. That's why I work with the same people. Brendan tells this story about when he smashes the computer, he could hear us all giggle from behind the camera, we would all laugh afterwards because we loved the shot. We would be like "How many more computers?" They would say "Seven more." Then we would say "Okay, seven more takes." We're sort of the same kids just playing around, having fun and trying to stay in the moment. So, I don't think much has changed.

My problems with the film lie in it's script. The reason I said my opinions on Aronofsky haven't changed is because of the lack of subtlety that I've mentioned in my other reviews of him. Characters in this movie say exactly what is on the mind; what happened to show don't tell? Another script issue is with some of Sadie Sink's lines, which felt forced. Her fast paced awkward questions reminded me too much of Allison Reynolds from The Breakfast Club, who did the exact same thing and talked the exact same way. The way to fix these screenwriting errors would be to remove extraneous lines of dialogue completely, and instead portray all of what needs to be said from facial expressions, like what Bergman would do. From the Q & A after the film, one can tell the difference between a true, top-tier director like Scorsese and someone like Aronofsky. Scorsese or someone like Godard would give infinite reasons for a filmmaking decision and go into depth about their films and cinema as a whole. Aronofsky just doesn't go as deep as some of the best, which doesn't matter in the grand scheme of things, but still counts when talking about him as a director or one of his films in a critical sense. (I'm not just picking on Aronofsky, I have different issues with most modern directors like Tarantino, PTA, Wes Anderson, or David Fincher, none of whom I consider among the true best.) Overall, I would definitely say to check this one out once it hits theaters and bring tissues for the faint of tearducts. 5/10

Aronofsky Ranking: 1. The Wrestler (2008) - 8/10 2. Requiem for a Dream (2000) - 7/10 3. Black Swan (2010) - 6.5/10 4. The Fountain (2006) - 5.5/10 5. Pi (1998) - 5.5/10

6. The Whale - 5/10

7. Mother! - 3.5/10 8. Noah (2014) - 2/10