With a long delay, “The Whale” also starts in cinemas in Germany on April 27: It has become Brendan Fraser’s masterpiece.
On April 27, the two-time Oscar-winning film “The Whale” by Darren Aronofsky (54) will finally be released in Germany. To say that Brendan Fraser’s (54) performance alone is reason enough to buy a ticket is obvious. After all, he received the Academy Award for “Best Actor”. But that would do the rest of the cast of the drama an injustice. Thankfully, they too are given the opportunity to shine, so “The Whale” avoids the prophecy of a one-man show. But one thing should also be clear: As with its main character, a strong stomach is sometimes required from the audience – tissues anyway.
A man becomes a black rectangle – that’s what it’s all about
The English professor Charlie (Fraser) has not only withdrawn from society completely after a severe stroke of fate, he has also become obsessed with eating. He hasn’t left his small apartment since then, and he keeps his head above water financially through online courses with the camera switched off. His only real contact with the outside world is his good friend Liz (Hong Chau, 43), who reluctantly provides him with his food requests and takes care of his medical needs as best she can – because Charlie doesn’t have health insurance.
His last wish before his inevitable death is to be reconciled with his 17-year-old daughter Ellie (Sadie Sink, 21), whose heart he broke many years ago. To bring her back into his life, he offers to help her with a school essay that she needs to rewrite. She reluctantly accepts the deal, and as a result delves deeper and deeper into her father’s sad yet somehow optimistic existence.
“The Wrestler” is followed by “The Whale”
After “The Wrestler” Aronofsky obviously still needed to speak. As in the drama with Mickey Rourke (70) and Evan Rachel Wood (35), which is well worth seeing, “The Whale” revolves around a deeply broken relationship between a heart-sick, destructive father and his abandoned daughter. On “The Wrestler” it’s love for the spotlight of the ring, on “The Whale” it’s love for another man that tears a family apart. Unlike the 2008 film, for which Rourke was nominated for Best Actor at the Oscars, Aronofsky’s new work is based on a play of the same name by Samuel D. Hunter.
You can see this origin in “The Whale” at any time. Basically, the entire film takes place as a chamber play in the apartment of its main character. However, this format never feels artificially limited, but fits perfectly into the story: Charlie is tied to his four walls of his own free will coupled with social shame, only a handful of people take part in his life. Its existence has literally degenerated into an intimate play.
And so the viewer initially only gets to know Charlie as a black rectangle in an online group chat. A friendly, educated voice speaks to us out of nowhere, teaching us about the beauty of language. Aronofsky’s first eye contact with Charlie is all the more contradictory: at the beginning of the film and in the presence of a missionary who happens to be standing at his door, he has to realize that he has reached a point where even masturbation poses a serious medical risk for him. “The Whale” starts abruptly with one of its protagonist’s many low points that can hardly be watched.
Nevertheless, Charlie, who instinctively apologizes for everything, shows a strange optimism. He certifies that his daughter, who is quite rightly angry, has a great future because of her subtlety. Every day he puts fresh (and healthy) food on the windowsill of a bird. And with his girlfriend Liz he makes morbid jokes that because of his corpulence one can no longer seriously injure him with a knife. Actually, it seems, he still enjoys life – so why is he throwing it away so easily?
Touching – but not sentimental
Like those around him, the viewer also catches himself trying to shake Charlie awake. But comparable to the drama “Leaving Las Vegas” (for which Nicolas Cage also won an Oscar), in which alcohol addiction instead of food is the focus, the audience enters at a point in the life of the main character when the “point of no return” seems to have been exceeded by miles. “The Whale” demonstrates – without falling into the sentimental trap – how selfish self-abandonment is. As a viewer, you can fully understand daughter Ellie’s unbridled anger. But the same applies to the way in which it is shown how a person can slide into solitude. And for the fact that this requires a combination of various factors.
Speaking of interaction: Despite everything, “The Whale” has not become a one-man show. “Stranger Things” star Sadie Sink and Hong Chau, who received an Oscar nomination for her role, are certainly not extras. One could certainly argue that Fraser was only able to play in such an Oscar-worthy manner because he had immensely talented colleagues at his side. As is well known, a hero can only really shine if he has a worthy opponent. It’s a similar story with an antihero like Charlie, but it’s worth seeing the wrestling going on here on an emotional level.
“Walking Dead” villain Samantha Morton (45), who plays Charlie’s ex-wife Mary, must also be highlighted. She only appears in one scene, but this is the most bittersweet of them all. It shows how two people who couldn’t have been further estranged still feel deep-seated affection for one another. Especially in the midst of an impending tragedy.
Lonely together
It would have been easy to portray Charlie’s ex as a revenge-craving beast. But “The Whale” also avoids this mistake. Rather, it is revealed that each of the characters shown has their respective cross to carry: Mary drinks, Liz has developed an almost toxic helper syndrome, Ellie’s anger at her father has turned her into an alleged bully. One thing unites them all, Charlie and even the church missionary mentioned at the beginning: They feel infinitely lonely.
In the aftermath of the Corona period, in which so many people were tied to their own four walls and/or felt lonely, “The Whale” turns out to be more effective than ever. At the same time, the film demonstrates the ambivalence that was also observed during Corona: As a creature of habit, after months of isolation, it is no longer loneliness that can pose the greatest challenge, but the return to civilization.
Conclusion:
“The Whale” hasn’t become a voyeuristic portrayal of a failed human being that audiences feel superior to. Rather, the film shows how even such a positive feeling as love can have negative consequences for those involved and can develop into a vicious circle. Brendan Fraser’s Oscar win was well deserved, but it shouldn’t be detracted from the performance of the other “The Whale” stars. Together they ensure that viewers reflect on their own lives and those of their loved ones. It’s not easy – important things rarely do.