Darren Aronofsky – of Black Swan, Mother! and, of course, “ass to ass” fame – is not a director known for making particularly upbeat or whimsical movies. His latest, The Whale — as you will have heard by now — stars Brendan Fraser as a 600lb man who is living as a recluse and slowly eating himself to death.
The movie received a six-minute standing ovation at Venice Film Festival, but critics of the film have expressed concern about the fat suit used by its lead, arguing that the prosthetic creates “an ogling effect”, creating a spectacle in its cinematic realism, intentionally or not. While praise for Brendan’s performance in the film has been widespread, some of the actor’s peers – such as Mean Girls star Daniel Franzese – have questioned Aronofsky’s decision to give him the role. “He’s a lovely man. And it’s great. But why? Why go up there and wear a fat suit to play a 400lb queer man?” he asked. “Who knows more about being an obese queer man than an obese queer man?”
As the film hit VOD platforms in the US, A24 have released a clip of Brendan getting into the controversial fat suit in question on Instagram.
Speaking to Sophie Monks-Kaufman for i-D, Darren said of the framing of the film, and Brendan’s fat suit: “People are bringing what they see into this in a lot of ways and so there’s not much I can do.”
That’s one part of the controversy. So what’s The Whale about? And what else has Darren said about the pushback? Here’s everything we know about The Whale.
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What is the plot of The Whale?
The Whale is based on a 2012 critically-acclaimed theatre production of the same name from MacArthur-winning playwright Samuel D. Hunter. It tells the poignant but undeniably depressing story of an obese online writing instructor called Charlie who lives his life on one couch and is struggling to reconnect with his estranged 17-year-old daughter after Charlie left his family to be with a man who has now passed away.
Who else is in the cast?
Playing Charlie’s teenage daughter is Sadie Sink, best known as Kate Bush-loving Max in Stranger Things, and for starring in All Too Well: The Short Film, of course. Hong Chau (who is also starring in the upcoming movie The Menu) plays a nurse and the only friend and support Charlie still has in life, while Oscar-nominated actor Samantha Morton plays his ex-wife Mary and Ty Simpkins (the kid from Insidious) plays a religious missionary.
Is there a trailer?
There is! The movie’s official trailer opens with Charlie teaching a class over Zoom: “The point of this course is to write clearly and persuasively,” he tells his students. “Think about the truth of your argument.” We quickly transition to a candid conversation between him and his daughter Ellie, in which he attempts to explain his absence in her life and the reasons behind it. Not everyone seems convinced by Charlie’s intentions, least of all Hong Chau’s character, who threatens to stab him. Press play for two minutes of pure emotional turmoil.
Who is behind the camera?
The Whale is Darren Aronofsky’s first directorial feature release since 2017’s Mother! It’s produced the movie with his old university flatmate Ari Handel, and friend and oft Wes Anderson collaborator Jeremy Dawson.
The script itself was written by Samuel D. Hunter, the playwright behind the original story. “Adapting my play into a screenplay has been a real labour of love,” Hunter told Deadline. “This story is deeply personal and I’m very thankful it will have the chance to reach a wider audience. I’ve been a fan of Darren’s ever since I saw Requiem for a Dream when I was a college freshman writing my first plays, and I’m so grateful that he’s bringing his singular talent and vision to this film.”
What are reviews of The Whale like?
The performances of Brendan, Sadie and Hong were praised after the movie premiered at Venice Film Festival in September 2022. Variety referred to the lead actor as “slyer, subtler, more haunting than he has ever been” and suggested that the movie could win him the Best Actor award at the Oscars. Little White Lies also highlighted Sadie’s talent at capturing “the anger and sadness that comes from parental abandonment.”
Many reviewers felt that Aronofsky’s movie possesses a tenderness and emotional beauty: “The film builds slowly towards a sustained emotional wipeout, then hits you with that climax, which drew the loudest cheers yet at this year’s Venice,” wrote The Telegraph.
What did Darren Aronofsky say about using a fat suit?
Despite its good press, The Whale has been criticised for its use of a fat suit and prosthetics; Polygon’s Katie Rife called the film “an act of hate disguised as tough love,” Slant Magazine argued that in depicting “Charlie as an unsightly object of pity throughout, it’s difficult to deny the film’s fatphobia”. In his piece for the New Yorker, Michael Schulman ponders: “In ‘humanizing’ Charlie, Aronofsky seems to want to repel the viewer so that we can pat ourselves on the back for finding the man in the monster. But is that empathy or pity?”
Aronofsky recently defended his characterisation of Charlie, as well as Fraser’s casting. “People with obesity are generally written as bad guys or as punchlines,” said the director. “We wanted to create a fully worked-out character who has bad parts about him and good parts about him; Charlie is very selfish, but he’s also full of love and is seeking forgiveness. So [the controversy] makes no sense to me. Brendan Fraser is the right actor to play this role, and the film is an exercise in empathy.”
Where can I watch it?
The Whale is available on VOD in the US now.