'The Whale' Offers a Compassionate Glimpse Toward Obesity
Nobody knows how to depict physical pain the way Darren Aronofsky does. Whether it be the purple arm from a heroin addict or a baby's neck cracking in the middle of a house rave, Aronofsky transforms pain into affection in The Whale. The ideas of self-sabotage, humiliation, and faith in humanity resonate more than it occasionally misses. Where greater affection could have been measured, Aronofsky swings for the fences. Most ideas are a home run, while others strike out. The film's opening moments, for instance, provides more insight than necessary. If not for Brendan Fraser's soul-bearing comeback performance, The Whale would sink to the bottom of the ocean.
The Whale isn't Darren Aronofsky's first run at reigniting an actor's career. 2008's The Wrestler brought a long-missing Mickey Rourke back into the limelight. Rourke's character Randy 'The Ram' Robinson, has a history of neglect which he's seeking redemption for. Randy has a daughter he left behind, and his love interest is a stripper who can't be with him. Instead of ending the movie on a Hollywood high note, the picture wraps with tragedy. In many ways, The Whale is unmistakably the spiritual successor to The Wrestler.
Brendan Fraser plays Charlie, a morbidly obese man who's intentionally trying to kill himself by eating. With his heart failing, Charlie settles on refusing to see a doctor. In The Wrestler, Randy decides to continue wrestling, although his physician informs him it will cause his heart to fail. Also similar to The Wrestler is Charlie's relationship with his daughter. The daughter in both films carries incredible contempt toward their father. Randy and Charlie attempt to reconnect with their child but can't figure out how to. Because of their failure as fathers, it's unlikely either man will earn atonement. Moreover, Randy and Charlie's self-destructiveness stops them from being the person they want to be.
When Charlie attempts to speak with Ellie (Sadie Sink), he gets barraged with insults. In Charlie's defense, Ellie is an insufferable brat. Aronofsky knows teenagers well. Ellie's vindictiveness against Charlie is difficult to watch since it's so unapologetically raw. When leaving the theater, one critic asked another who has children, if teens are that cruel. Without hesitation, he enthusiastically answered yes. Teens are little devils who can be even worse when their parents betray them at a young age.
Obesity is treated differently in The Whale compared to most films that handle fatness like a punchline. Next to Fraser's stupendous acting is Makeup Designer Adrian Merot's Oscar-worthy prosthetics. The Whale has an Elephant Man dilemma; if the makeup doesn't work, the film will receive chuckles instead of tears. There's nothing to laugh at here. Shirtless Charlie is heartbreakingly grotesque. Every zit, pour, flake of hair, and drop of sweat reveals a hard truth. Obesity is a self-conscious form of abuse. It's a disease of the mind that dictates the body, decreasing the victim's life expectancy. It’s not as simple to cure as “just stop eating.”
There's empathy in The Whale that an episode of My 600-lb Life can't capture. It's not afraid to be hard on its subject. Charlie can be difficult to feel sorry for. He knows he can stop eating. But he's taken it so far that all he can do now is pray for a swift death. In his attempts to reconcile with his daughter, Charle feels sorry for himself instead of getting the help he needs. Charlie doesn't understand that by helping yourself, you're helping others. With such an honest critique of the protagonist, a clear character flaw exists for the audience to latch onto. That or the viewer may end up despising Charlie.
The Whale is an emotionally challenging film that doesn't hold back its authenticity. Whether we abuse ourselves or others, some people fail by intention without knowing it. Charlie can only tell people he's sorry when all he's doing is gorging on self-pity. By going to a hospital, Charlie could stay alive for his daughter. But he refuses to do so. The circulating theme of self-destruction resonates screamingly in The Whale, if not humorously in its stupefyingly on-the-head opening moment, compiled with numerous indulgent scenes of Charlie eating himself to death. Like Mickey Rourke in The Wrestler, Brendan Fraser must carry the film with his performance.
Fraser digs into his own life as Rourke did in The Wrestler. Both men have lost their relevancy as the years pushed on. As time moves forward, so do our appearances. Mickey Rourke is in shape but destroyed his face through boxing and plastic surgery. Fraser gained a tremendous amount of weight compared to his former buff physique, costing him his career. Fraser channels the trauma he's received from the industry that used to shower him with opportunity by putting forth a heart-wrenching portrayal of a man who hasn’t lost faith in humanity but has in himself.
Not only should Brendan Fraser be recognized, but Hong Chau as well. Chau plays Lizzy, the only person who hasn't left Charlie. Chao holds her own next to Fraser, delivering an emotionally versatile, high-caliber performance. Lizzy knows Charlie is aiming for suicide, yet she can't stop him from doing what he will do. As a registered nurse, Lizzy knows all too well that patients will ignore the advice of their physicians so they can enjoy life on their terms. The pain Lizzy feels knowing that Charlie can't be helped electrifies the screen where a lesser or miscast actor could bore audiences to death with their portrayal. By semi-breaking, the fourth wall, relating the art to the artist on screen, something more personal is presented.
The Whale is a return to form for Daron Aronofsky. The film is extremely minimalistic, only taking place within the confines of Charlie's filthy pizza box-riddled household. Stylistically, The Whale plays more like a teleplay than a movie. That would make sense since the material is an adaptation of Samuel D Hunter's play. Thank goodness it is. When Aronofsky has less to work with, he can produce something special. Although gluttonous in its messaging at times, The Whale is a film worth seeing solely for its stunning acting and prosthetics if not so much the often melodramatic direction.
The Whale will open theater-wide on Wednesday, December 21
