Movie Review: The Whale

Allyson Lin, Copy Editor

The Whale is a psychological drama film directed by Darren Aronofsky and written by Samuel D. Hunter, which is based on the play with the same title. It’s about a man in Idaho named Charlie who is an unhealthy English teacher that hides in his apartment and eats to death. He desperately tries to reconnect with his daughter for a chance at redeeming himself. The film stars Brendan Fraser, who recently won an Oscar for his performance, Sadie Sink, Honk Chau, Ty Simpkins, and Samantha Morton. 

When I heard that The Whale received stellar reviews and standing ovations during its premiere, like many others, my attention was quickly drawn, especially when I heard Sadie Sink was going to be in it.  

My curiosity grew even stronger when I heard the focus of the film was a story surrounding the hardships of an obese man and featured only 5 characters. The idea that such a film could absorb so much attention is amazing because the CGI is great. 

Darren Aronofsky has taken a play by Samuel D. Hunter and turned it into a masterpiece. We see Brendan Fraser in a raw form, portraying this character. From the opening scene, I was  hooked. Some parts were a little slow, but I eagerly watched and wondered what was about to happen next to Fraser.

Brendan Fraser has been given the opportunity to provide us with a performance of a lifetime in this emotional spectacle. His performance held raw emotion and the acting was phenomenal. He deserved the Oscar. 

Sadie Sink also manages to draw so much passion in that one scene and it’s just so powerful. From her time on Stranger Things as Max Mayfield, Sadie Sink truly knows her audience and knows how to inflict deep reactions from her viewers. 

I rate this 9/10. 

Watch the trailer here: https: