London Film Festival: The Whale Review
Just give Brendan Fraser the acting Oscar already.
The Whale is a film that has been getting so much praise and from watching it, I have to say it surprisingly lives up to the hype. The story tells the tale of an overly obese man called Charlie throughout one week in his life where everything falls apart but also comes together. It is certainly a slow-burn character piece but through the almost 2hour running time I was fixated on the screen as my emotions were being tested as every day ticked by. The story deals with topics such as religion, family troubles, and of course obesity and handles it all incredibly in a well written script. The script is not all just devasting as sprinkled throughout are humourous elements that are certainly needed. The audience knows how this movie will end but with every act, the emotions build, and it still really impacts you.
It is a careful study of these themes highlighting the difficult situation Charlie faces. It explores a difficult situation that even though help is readily and easily available sometimes, you don’t want it. The self-destructive nature is the continuing thread across this film as each character is choosing not to talk the situation out or in Charlie's case because causes a really hard-hitting food binge. Getting to that third act where everything is talked about, and characters come together (arguing or not) it finishes on a satisfying although tragic ending.
Moving into what has been causing all the commotion; Brendan Fraser's performance is nothing but spectacular within the end of act one (Monday) I was immediately invested in his character and certain already this is going to be the performance of 2022. Outwith Brendan Fraser the entire cast showcasing their best acting. Sandie Sink is the daughter who is just a wild character but has most of the humourous tones and to me steers the story in the direction it's going in. Hong Chau's performance was the performance that almost broke me, a lovable character that cares so much about Brendan while Ty Simkins as a Mormon was an unexpected character but just had so much to explore, and every time he was in the scene, I was excited. For a film that is all set around one scene and a script that is heavy on dialogue, the actors could not have performed any better and truly are the center of this phenomenal film. The makeup transformation is also something that is incredibly hard to ignore as the amount of work it must have taken to turn Brendan Fraser inane.
When looking at the technical elements there is not much to look at. The cinematography is fine but it is only located in one apartment room so there is only so much that can be done, the shots were great but nothing compared to other heavy hitters in 2022. Other elements like the score and production are all along similar paths, these take a back seat allowing the acting and the script to shine. This is not being negative this is what makes this film hit and makes it special.
Overall, The Whale is certainly up there as one of the best films in 2022, it will move everyone and for me will stick with me for a long time.