Brendan Fraser, in the midst of a career comeback lovingly referred to as “The Brenaissance,” gave us the performance of a lifetime in The Whale, director Darren Aronofsky’s 2022 chamber drama about tragedy, trauma and transformation.
Adapted from the stage play of the same name by Iowa Playwright Workshop alum Samuel D. Hunter, The Whale tells the story of Charlie (Fraser), a morbidly obese recluse who teaches online writing courses and finds solace in a mysterious essay about Moby-Dick.
As his nurse and best friend Liz (Hong Chau) warns him of his worsening health, Charlie makes a last-ditch effort to reconnect with his estranged daughter Ellie (Sadie Sink) — before it's too late.
In contrast to the handheld documentary style of The Wrestler — a similarly-themed film about parental neglect — Aronofsky opts for tightly controlled camera placement and blocking in The Whale.
Centering the action on Charlie’s modest apartment, Aronofsky recreates the stage-bound intimacy of the original play, even employing a narrow 4:3 aspect ratio. Characters freely enter and exit this limited setting, all while the camera (and we) stay anchored to Charlie’s orbit.
And yet, despite Charlie’s confined existence, The Whale never feels dull or “un-cinematic,” thanks to Fraser’s magnetic, emotionally wide-ranging performance. It's a performance that earned Fraser an Oscar in 2023, kick-starting a late-career resurgence that looks to continue later this year with a starring role in the comedy-drama Rental Family.
Armed with Hunter’s evocative dialogue and buoyed by a small but terrific cast of key players, The Whale remains a directorial high point for Aronofsky — a visually self-contained but emotionally vast character study that all but leaps off the screen and into our hearts.
The Whale is now streaming on HBO Max. Aronofsky's new film Caught Stealing opens in theaters Aug. 29.
