Posted by Mark Kennedy | News Service
The center of gravity of the "whale" is clearly a 600-kilogram man in the center. Take a closer look, it's his soul as light as a feather.
Charlie is a lone obese professor of English literature who can't and won't stop eating himself to death. With worsening health issues and a one-week life expectancy, Charlie struggles to meet his estranged daughter. We met with him on Monday and the film was shown day after day until Friday.
Charlie is a gentle giant who is not embarrassed by his rapidly approaching death. He is an optimist and firmly believes in the truth, although nothing in his world supports him. The Whale isn't always a pleasure to watch, but its awards and performances make it a great movie.
Stable and breathing on his couch, Charlie makes repeated visits to his constellation of people: a friendly nurse, her teenage daughter, and a young missionary from the Church of the Apocalypse. Everyone needs something from this well-meaning but broken man: spiritual, medical, or familial. They are all broken too.
The film, based on the off-Broadway play of the same name by Samuel D. Hunter, was directed by Darren Aronofsky, author of dark stories such as Requiem for a Dream and Black Swan. Hunter's depiction of bodily humiliation perfectly underscores the director's fascination with the grotesque.
Brendan Fraser won several Academy Awards for his portrayal of Charlie, keeping his dog's face intact despite wearing a large bathing suit and a puffy prosthesis. Why not? It is one of the most touching performances in recent years, full of humanity and a redeeming triumph for an actor who hid his talent in quickly forgotten films such as Blast from the Past, Brainhead and Hollowhead.
The cast is impeccable, from Sadie Sink as Charlie's short-tempered daughter, Hung Chau as a foul-mouthed babysitter angel, Ty Simpkins as a missionary with a hidden past, and Samantha Morton as his ex-wife with a vicious rage but still in love. There are constant references to Herman Melville's Moby Dick, giving the film its title and manner of destruction.
Charlie bloated after the death of his same-sex partner, who apparently insisted on starving to death after his father, a church leader, denounced their relationship. Looks like Charlie decided to die upside down.
Unfortunately, she apologized to the nurse – "I'm sorry," she kept repeating – and turned off the video camera on her laptop during the online class. Even the pizza delivery guy doesn't know what it is. "Who wants me to be a part of their life?" required.
There are concerns that the film might be heterophobic, and it's true that cinematographer Matthew Libatik often tends to portray Charlie in an unflattering way, soaping himself in the bathroom, struggling to get up or touch the ground, covered in sweat and stuffing himself with pizza or fried chicken. . in. his mouth. Perhaps some of this could have been hinted at instead of being continued.
But weight is not the focus of the screenwriter-director here. It is heavier than guilt, love and faith. "I just want to know that I did one thing in my life right!" cry. It is felt that the main problem of "La Ballena" is probably as much obesity as cancer, alcoholism or blood diseases. Hunter explores security, redemption, inevitability, and the family.
The show is polished on screen, but there is no mention of its roots in Charlie's Idaho apartment, which he rented in a wheelchair or later. This does not please the cinema. At times, the apartment feels pinched like a ship, which adds to Melville's theme.
Some cinematic efforts are strained, such as the symbolically heavy bird that Charlie feeds outside the window, the actors run three times to get out of the apartment only to stop and return, and the pouring rain that begins as the film nears its climax. But this movie stays with you and changes you. it's very hard
"whale"
4 out of 4 stars
Rating: R (for profanity, drug use and sexual content)
Show duration: 117 minutes
