The Whale (2022) film review - Aronofsky’s controversial yet breathtaking masterpiece
★★★★☆
In ‘The Whale’, a colossal and deeply tormented man struggles to reconcile his past and find redemption amidst his own isolation and self-destructive tendencies.
Director: Darren Aronofsky. Starring: Brendan Fraser, Sadie Sink, Hong Chau, Ty Simpkins. R cert, 117 min.
Adapted from Samuel D. Hunter’s 2012 play of the same name, Darren Aronofsky’s claustrophobic tragic drama film ‘The Whale’ was undoubtedly one of the most divisive films of 2022. In the same vein as ‘Requiem for a Dream’ and ‘Black Swan’, ‘The Whale’ is an unflinching character study, a harsh depiction of self-destructive behaviours, mental illness, and inner turmoil. Following the life of morbidly obese English teacher Charlie as he attempts to make amends with his estranged daughter, ‘The Whale’ allows its audience no breathing room, with its humorous moments doing little to distract from the disturbing subject matter Aronofsky explores. With critics labelling it either shallow and self-indulgent or poignant and devastating, ‘The Whale’ appears to be a film people either love or hate. In my opinion, ‘The Whale’ may not be Aronofsky’s best, but it deals with a simple concept in a manner which is both compellingly and masterfully executed.
‘The Whale’ (2022) Film Poster Artwork
A Powerful Portrait of Loneliness, Guilt, and Redemption
I watched ‘The Whale’ when it was first released in cinemas, and witnessed the torn public opinion firsthand. Of the four friends I went to watch it with, two were in tears by the end of the film, and the other two simply could not understand the praises they doled out between racking sobs. As a fan of Aronofsky’s gritty style, I was completely sold by Brendan Fraser’s heartfelt performance as Charlie, and wept throughout most of the film’s second half. Upon reflection, I could not help but feel as though I had been emotionally manipulated. Charlie’s character is an underdog, a figure who, despite his flaws, you cannot help but root for. Everything in his life is falling apart, and so his martyr-like sentiment can only inspire sympathy. It is a common cinematic trick, portraying the ultimate self-sacrificing victim to evoke a strong emotional reaction in viewers.
However, upon further reflection, this is perhaps the greatest success of ‘The Whale’. Charlie is not an attractive young woman who finds herself in a bad situation by no fault of her own, or an innocent bullied child. He is a man who inspires disgust in his physical appearance and eating habits, a man who, whether we admit it or not, we would no doubt look down upon were we to see him in public. Aronofsky forces us to look closer, and we come to understand that Charlie’s physical appearance is merely a symptom of his troubled inner life. ‘The Whale’ may play on viewers’ emotions in typical Aronofsky fashion, but it does so in a surprisingly delicate way. Despite its employment of the shock factor, ‘The Whale’ is finely nuanced, and paints a powerful portrait of loneliness, guilt, and redemption.
Cinematography in ‘The Whale’
‘The Whale’ takes place almost entirely in Charlie’s small apartment, a choice which amplifies the film’s oppressive, sombre mood. The only glimpses the viewer receives of the outside world are of reclusive Charlie’s endearing interactions with the bird that frequents his windowsill, and his reception of his daughter Ellie, caretaker Liz, and faux missionary Thomas into his home. Charlie’s meticulous laying out of food for the bird is representative of his desire to take care of others over himself, but the presence of birds in ‘The Whale’ also symbolises hope. Charlie is a dying man who has resigned himself to the fact that he is dying, but hope remains until he stops feeding the bird following the penultimate visit from his daughter Ellie.
The unwavering portrayal of Charlie’s body in ‘The Whale’ and the struggles that accompany it incite a curious combination of revulsion and pity. Aronofsky masterfully portrays Charlie’s sense of entrapment through the use of a 4:3 aspect ratio, which reduces the width of the camera’s shot. Thus, Charlie’s body literally takes up a proportionally larger amount of space, a choice which excellently reflects Charlie’s guilt surrounding the disproportional amount of responsibility he constitutes for those in his life. At the start of the film, the viewer is presented with an off-putting scene of Charlie masturbating, with his gratification accompanied by a heart attack. He is saved only by the sudden arrival of Thomas, who claims to be a missionary for the New Life Church.
Charlie’s Relationship with Ellie and the Significance of ‘Moby Dick’
Charlie outright rejects the preachings of the New Life Church, as we later find out they were responsible for the mental health issues and eventual suicide of his partner Alan. However, Charlie embodies many inherently Christian values. He is graceful in his treatment of those around him, possesses a deep love for other people, and exhibits an astounding ability to forgive. Charlie is going to die, but he is adamant in his quest for redemption. ‘People are amazing’, he insists, despite their continually vile treatment of him. His ability to forgive is best displayed in his complex dealings with his daughter Ellie. Ellie, portrayed admirably by Sadie Sink, is in many ways a typical child of divorce. She is angry, vengeful, and unyielding in the face of Charlie’s attempts to reconnect with her. She criticises him, puts him down, and even drugs him with Ambien. But this is not enough to repel Charlie from his attempts to save her, despite his own declining health.
We can understand Ellie’s reluctance to accept Charlie back into her life best when we understand the metaphorical relevance of ‘Moby Dick’ in ‘The Whale’. We see Charlie beg Thomas to read aloud Ellie’s eighth grade essay on ‘Moby Dick’ when he believes that he is about to die. As an English Literature lecturer, Charlie deeply admires the honesty with which Ellie writes, so much so that her writing appears to possess the divine power to bring him back to life. From the film’s title, we are encouraged to compare Charlie to the elusive whale Ahab searches for in the novel. If Charlie is a metaphorical representation of the whale, then Ellie is a metaphorical representation of Ahab. Charlie, in abandoning his family to be with his partner, has eluded Ellie for the majority of her life. Ellie’s obsession with hurting Charlie parallels Ahab’s obsession with capturing the whale, but what truly eludes Ellie is the ability to love and forgive her Father despite his mistakes.
Charlie’s desire to save Ellie culminates in one of the most harrowing monologues I have seen depicted on screen. When Ellie’s Mother comes to berate Charlie for secretly seeing her, she questions why he refuses to use his vast savings to save himself. The money is for Ellie, but more than that, Charlie weeps, he needs to know that she will have a good life. He needs to know that she cares about people, and that people care about her. ‘I need to know that I have done one thing right with my life’. The self-loathing, the fear, the despair, are all so indelibly palpable in Fraser’s performance that the sentiments he expresses transcend the limits of his physical form. Here, we simply see a man racked with guilt, desperate to know that his life has amounted to at least one small success. Aronofsky’s transformation of Charlie’s character in the eyes of the viewer from abnormal spectacle to saint-like figure is truly exceptional.
The Ending of ‘The Whale’ Explained
At the end of the film, Ellie visits Charlie for the last time to confront him about an essay he has submitted on her behalf. Charlie’s apartment, dimly lit throughout the majority of the film, is bathed in sunlight as Ellie enters. She appears as an almost angelic figure, coming to rescue Charlie from the depths of his despair. As Ellie reads aloud her essay on ‘Moby Dick’, Charlie endeavours to do what he failed to do during Ellie’s first visit to him; walk, unassisted, towards her.
‘And I felt saddest of all when I read the boring chapters that were only descriptions of whales, because I knew that the author was just trying to save us from his own sad story, just for a little while’.
The self-deprecating humour, the joviality with which Charlie approaches his severe health problems, are simply attempts on his part to save those around him from his own sad story. Just as we as viewers can see through these attempts, so can the people around him. There is no real distraction in ‘The Whale’ from the disturbing experience of watching a man eat himself to death, and Aronofsky’s refusal to soften the harshness of this reality is not self-indulgent, but laudable. As Charlie reaches Ellie and she completes the reading of her essay, she smiles at him for the first time. His bloated feet hover above the ground, and Charlie takes his last breath, gazing upwards towards the heavens as he is bathed in white light. We see a brief glimpse of a younger Ellie and Charlie on the beach. Finally, Charlie is free. Finally, he can feel the waves of the ocean beneath his feet. And finally, he has redeemed himself in the eyes of the only person who truly matters to him; his daughter.
Should you watch this before you die?
Overall, ‘The Whale’ is a deeply vulnerable, humanising, and thoroughly unforgettable viewing experience. Brendan Fraser’s performance was refined and extraordinary, and well-deserving of the Oscar he received. Sadie Sink and Hong Chau are incredible in their supporting roles, and portray well-fleshed out characters in their own right. I have to vehemently disagree with any critics that have labelled ‘The Whale’ shallow; on the contrary, Aronofsky has provided us with a masterpiece that delves into the depths of the human condition, and I would be tempted to call ‘The Whale’ one of the best films of the year.