The Whale

The Whale offre un mélange équilibré de psychologie intimiste et d’émotion touchante. Le film est captivant, en particulier grâce à un personnage principal comme le cinéma n’en avait jamais connu auparavant, choquant par son apparence mais dont on prend plaisir à explorer l’intériorité. Brendan Fraser, avec un maquillage incroyable, est excellent, et il est parfaitement secondé par Sadie Sink dans le rôle de sa fille. Leurs rencontres à l’écran débordent d’émotions non exprimées, de colère causée par les blessures subies d’un côté, et de regrets de l’autre. Alors oui, le personnage de Fraser s’apitoie trop sur son sort et sa découverte de l’importance de l’honnêteté dans la vie est risible, mais malgré cela, The Whale reste un film beau et sensible, qui ne manque pas d’apports artistiques de la part de son auteur. (04/03/2023)

An acting masterclass combined with a masterclass in unnecessary directorial manipulation. If Darren had reined in his desire to drag the viewer into a fit of transcendent emotion and had carried the film through to the end as an intimate story about a human mass of guilt and loneliness, it might have had the punch that he last achieved in The Wrestler. Unfortunately, however, this is how the redemption of a self-destructive man becomes more distant the more the director tries to make it poignant. Fraser, on the other hand, deserves maximum respect, as he account for all of the humor and humanism in this dubious dramatic cetacean. (30/12/2022)

If this were a raw last confession of a lost human soul without any pretensions and all sorts of gimmicks, it would be an absolute blast. The Whale shouldn't have been made by the master of allegories, Aronofsky, who combines uncompromising depression with religious motifs, art literature, and strange human creatures that might not be there at all – I was just waiting for parallel universes and other dimensions to appear. Two stars for the phenomenal Brendan Fraser and the moments when the film is exactly the coherent genre composition it should be for the entire runtime and not just a few fragments. (27/02/2023)

In my opinion, The Whale is Aronofsky's second best film, after The Fountain. It isn’t nasty like Requiem for a Dream, nor is it bloated like Black Swan or weepy and formulaic like Wrestler (although it has a lot in common with the latter), but this time it just worked. Although the story doesn't really surprise with anything, it's so well written (you can see the theatrical backbone), acted (Brendan Fraser is brilliant, I'm rooting for him) and filmed (we practically don't leave the apartment, but it doesn't matter) that my cautious curiosity turned into enthusiasm pretty quickly. But I must also praise Sadie Sink and Hong Chau, without whom Charlie would not be Charlie, and I must not forget Simonsen's music. I was originally going to give it four stars, but after a couple of days my reservations melted away under the weight (ahem) of all the unexpectedly positive things the film brought. (04/03/2023)

En matière de sentiments et de larmoiements, Darren Aronofsky a mis le paquet et, même si je n’ai pas l’impression qu’il verse dans le chantage émotionnel, je pense que ce ne sera pas du goût de tout le monde. En ce qui me concerne, j’ai tenu le coup, et ce, grâce à la performance presque hypnotique de l’acteur principal. Parce que s’il y a une chose à mettre en avant et à retenir à propos de ce film, c’est Brendan Fraser. Presque tout repose sur lui et sur sa graisse, autant que son cœur et ses vaisseaux sanguins le lui permettent. J’ai aussi aimé le fait qu’Aronofsky ait misé cette fois-ci sur quelque chose d’un peu plus civil, intimiste et direct que d’habitude, faisant l’impasse sur son arrogance excessive. Sauf peut-être pour l’overdose de larmes, je mets un gros (et gras) pouce en l’air. [Vancouver International Film Festival 2022] (05/10/2022)

After not very well received film Mother! and five long years, the master of depressing and oppressive dramas is back, and he's still on form thanks to (his thematic favourite) God. Within Darren Aronofsky's filmography, The Whale is probably closest to The Wrestler in its somewhat restrained approach by the director's standards, as it also tells the story of the bitter life of a man at the end of his rope who has a problematic relationship with his daughter. In terms of premise, The Whale is not an inherently complex film, but it mixes in some interesting themes and moments that leave the viewer engaged with the action on screen. The lion's share of all this is of course (literally, given the fat-suit) the breathtaking performance of Brendan Fraser. I always had reservations about him, but here he proved his acting qualities to perfection as Charlie. He was ably seconded by all the supporting characters played by Sadie Sink, Hong Chau, as well as Ty Simpkins and Samantha Morton. While the film kept pretty much to the ground (or was it Earth?) (thanks to Charlie's mass, and not just Charlie), there were more than a few places where Aranofsky poked fun at his favorite Creator, but not in an underhanded or purposeless way. The Whale, like Charlie, may be naive and overly positive in places, but it also manages to convey the message that people can be amazing if they have support and are honest with themselves in an authentic and not aggressively weepy way. (09/03/2023)

It makes me happy whenever a movie draws me in so perfectly that I forget it's just a movie. And this one did it extremely well. I know Brendan Fraser as more of a comedic actor, but he convinced me that he deserves an award for his performance here. I consider the Oscars highly politically influenced, but if it makes anyone happy, let it be Brendan Fraser. Fans of more action-packed spectacles might not enjoy this film, but I really immersed myself in the story and enjoyed watching the protagonist whose suicide was agonizingly slow, as well as all the secondary, undernourished characters. I really enjoyed the character of Liz, who was smaller in size but 10 feet tall at heart, and Sadie Sink as the bitchy Ellie. Despite being profound, the film did not dissolve into boring philosophizing about the transience of human life. On the contrary, the creators spiced it up with a pizza night that turned into an evening with Mr. Creosote, and I couldn't believe my eyes. I couldn't help but notice that the Heimlich maneuver has evolved, and I'm glad that there was space for occasional flashes of subtle humor. / "You say you're sorry one more time, I will shove a knife right into you, I swear to god!" "Go ahead, what's it gonna do? My internal organs are two feet in, at least." / Lesson learned: If you decide to commit suicide, be aware that some methods are time-consuming and financially demanding. 5*- (27/03/2023)

Obesity and bulimia are issues that have not been addressed much by Hollywood, so I applaud the fact that this substantial rarity does not downplay the issue, nor does it revel in it. By Aronofsky's standards, it is a fairly normal story that is unexpectedly friendly to the audience whose feelings he likes to play with. Towards the end, however, he mines emotions in an outrageous way, and as a result all previous believability is taken away. It's disappointing, but not enough to obscure the most important thing, Brendan Fraser is back at full force after all these years, and if anyone deserves countless accolades for this feat in the coming months, it's him. (02/11/2022)

I dare say that this dense and intense human drama with well-drawn characters is definitely one of the best movies that directorial magician Darren Aronofsky has made so far. In my opinion, it has a lot to say about contemporary interpersonal relations. On the surface, it may seem like a simple story about a stout man overeating, but I personally think that The Whale reflects the state of today's Western society in a very artful and sad way. Aronofsky's movie requires greater sensitivity and patience, but it richly rewards the audience with psychological depth and truthfulness. If you accept the plot without preconceptions and let it wash over you, you will experience a stronger catharsis at the end. I would never have dreamed that I would ever wish Brendan Fraser an Oscar, but he really deserves it for his utterly convincing portrayal of the morbidly obese good guy Charlie. But the list of great performances certainly doesn't end there. Sadie Sink is also excellent as the rebellious daughter Ellie, and Hong Chau as Charlie's caring friend is also very interesting. (90%) (12/03/2023)

Cela faisait longtemps qu’un film n’avait pas réussi à susciter en moi autant de tristesse, de pitié et de compassion, et c’est d’autant plus surprenant que ce soit Darren Aronofsky qui y soit parvenu. Je suis consciente qu’il s’agit d’un réalisateur très respecté, mais ses films ne font pas exactement partie de mes préférés, et je ne ressens pas le besoin de les revoir (à l’exception de Requiem for a Dream). Ce film ne fera probablement pas exception, mais il m’a certainement plus séduite que ses films précédents. Outre la musique très envoûtante, The Whale repose principalement sur la performance de Brendan Fraser, qui est extraordinaire... Si l’on considère la façon dont il réussit, en raison des mouvements limités de son corps, à tout exprimer avec sa voix, son visage, ses expressions, ses mimiques, ses yeux… la performance est incroyable. Sadie Sink est sans aucun doute une jeune actrice talentueuse, mais son personnage ne m’a malheureusement pas été sympathique. Bien sûr, je peux comprendre d’où vient sa colère, sa rage, son amertume, voire même sa haine... mais je n’ai pas trouvé de chemin pour me rapprocher d’elle. Elle était méchante du début à la fin et le seul indice d’une réconciliation à la dernière seconde du film n’a pas suffi à m’attendrir. Il s’agit néanmoins d’un film intéressant et novateur, qui a réussi à me transporter sur le plan émotionnel. (07/03/2023)

Darren Aronofsky is one of the few directors who can evoke such strong emotions in me while watching films. In Mother! it was primarily anxiety, in Whale it is a mix of shame, disgust and sadness, injustice or regret. The film is intimate, we practically watch only few actors, and the entire plot takes place in essentially one location. Brendan Fraser absolutely dominates the film, his character is believable and I can sympathize with him. The atmosphere and emotional tension builds gradually until the final scene, which, in my opinion, is neither over the top nor does it try to be unnecessarily emotionally blackmailing. A difficult film that left an impression on me and had me thinking about it long after I had finished watching it. (10/07/2023)