Film Review: The Whale

The film scene as of late has not been one to really engross the viewer, don’t get me wrong there have been some blockbuster hits the past couple of years but the post-pandemic film list hasn’t been all that great.

After watching The Whale, my excitement has been restored in Hollywood. The movie starring Brendan Fraser was an absolute cinematic wonder, from the scenes, props, layout, background themes and overall acting.

The acting in this not only by Brendan Fraser who played Charlie, an overweight gay man who had let his health decline since the death of his partner but also that of the acting by Stranger Things star Sadie Sink, who played Ellie, Charlie's estranged daughter from a previous relationship.

What is great about this film is the background setting, the movie shows Charlie’s life over the course of one week. Throughout this week, it seems as if it is constantly raining or dark and miserable, however, the amazing thing about this is that it ties in with the character's emotions at that time. So, when Charlie is sad, depressed or angry the weather outside coincides with that or at least this is my interpretation of the film, but this is open to personal interpretation and viewer experience.

Brendan Fraser really embodies the role he has taken on in this film, with the prosthetic suit he must wear to play Charlie actively putting his own body under severe physical pressure, and this is then conveyed through the emotions in the scenes where Charlie is struggling to move around his apartment.

You come away from the film understanding that Charlie has

an illness and that his life source was drained when his partner died but not only does it affect Charlie, but everyone else around him too. This masterpiece of cinema perfectly portrays what real people go through every day in life and the struggles of the ones who are only there to try and help them such as Liz, who was Charlie’s nurse, played by Hong Chau.

Overall, I would say this is one of the greats to have come out of Hollywood, maybe even in the last decade. If this is where the film industry is heading then, I am glad to be here to enjoy it.

★★★★★