Wow. I saw "The Whale" in theaters yesterday, and what a ride. It's rumored to be one of Brendan Fraser's best projects to date, and I can see why. The buzz surrounding this one has been great, and it's well deserved, IMO.
The movie is absolutely worth watching. However, it's very intense throughout. Brendan Fraser's character (Charlie) struggles with compulsive eating. As a result, Charlie has gained a tremendous amount of weight over the last few years. When we meet him in his apartment, we quickly learn that he is housebound due to his size, and going downhill. More than that, he has battled obesity for years, and now faces certain death due to untreated congestive heart failure.
That said, the movie is not actually about Charlie's weight. Numbers are never mentioned, though we do see adaptations Charlie is using: a walker, a handle above his bed, etc. It's really about 'the whale' his root problem has ballooned into: compulsive food addiction. Viewers can very obviously see he is a man of size, but Charlie is not concerned with his health. Instead, we see him use food as comfort. When it stops comforting him, he uses it to cause himself more physical and mental pain, going on extreme binges. He is a man full of self-loathing, and on some level, he knows his habits are "disgusting". Yet, Charlie is, sadly, past the point of return.
Having pushed almost everyone in his life away as he put on more weight, Charlie is a lonely and reclusive character. Sadie Sink gives an incredible performance as his daughter, whom he attempts to connect with before his death. (Her breakout character on "Stranger Things" is not my favorite, but I do think she's given one of the most complex character arcs as Max.)
Now. The plot of "The Whale" itself is beautiful. It is raw, and visceral all the way around. Charlie is a very good, intelligent person who has simply given up on himself. I found the movie to have a very somber tone overall, but Charlie is earnest. He intends to help others, and evoke true honesty from them in the process. The last bit of his life journey takes place over the course of a week, and his increasing desperation to just get on with dying, is plain. He wants so badly for his daughter to have a better life, and regrets the fact that he left her, after divorcing her mom. (I won't spoil the plot further.) Charlie hates himself for eating so much, truly HATES what he's become. And in fact, he's eaten himself to this state, so what's two large pizzas for dinner? A package of candy, tortilla chips, donuts...goddammit, why can't he just kill himself with food already???
I try to be an open-minded and reasonable person, especially when it comes to movies. But "The Whale" is really a tough watch, in parts. It's 'just a movie', but it's really so painful to watch Charlie's binges get worse by the week's end...I had to close my eyes and/or look away at times. It's these moments of severe binging that are so intense...I actually found them grotesque and slightly disturbing, honestly. It's unfair, but that's the reason I'm rating as I am.
However, "The Whale" is a stark depiction of addiction, and all the ugliness and struggle that accompany it (really any kind of it).
Did I mention Charlie is an accomplished teacher? Melville's "Moby Dick" plays a meaningful role in this movie, which is very apropos.
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