Rent The Whale on Amazon Video (paid link)
Written by: Samuel D. Hunter (based on the play by)
Directed by: Darren Aronofsky
Starring: Brendan Fraser, Sadie Sink, Ty Simpkins, Hong Chau, Samantha Morton
Rated: R
Watch the trailer
Plot
A reclusive, morbidly obese English teacher attempts to reconnect with his estranged teenage daughter.
Verdict
A big part of this movie is seeing Frasier in prosthetics. It's a good movie, though puzzling. What does it mean? The movie doesn't draw any conclusions but introduces themes of punishment, help, and recovery against the reoccurring mention of Moby Dick. The book is the tale of a futile endeavor, in this movie which character's endeavor is futile?
It depends.
Review
The first scene is an online class with an instructor we can't see, Charlie (Brendan Frasier). The next scene jumps right into his daily life of living as morbidly obese. He has a friend, Liz (Hong Chau), that checks on him but Charlie is unwilling and unable to go to the hospital due to a lack of insurance despite health complications and scares.
You wonder what happened to Charlie. We're told he's on the edge of death due to his health conditions, so why doesn't he want to do more? What's the emotional turmoil behind this character? He has a daughter Ellie (Sadie Sink), and it's clear they've been estranged for a number of years. She doesn't like him, so why is she even visiting? As Liz asks emphatically "What is wrong with you?", we wonder the same thing. How'd he get here? There are a lot of questions like what's in the locked room.
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| Brendan Frasier, Hong Chau play Charlie, Liz |
Through Liz, Ellie, and a missionary we learn about Charlie's life and past. Grief is the reason Charlie has reached this point. He's punishing himself. Now he's trying to reconnect with his daughter and do something good with his life before it's over.
The movie references Moby Dick. At first you think the title is referencing Charlie, but it's both him and the book. We're told Charlie's condition is dire. Is there a connection with how death approaches both Moby Dick and Charlie?
Frasier's performance is great as it really ramps up at the end. The prosthetics completely transform Frasier. He plays a character overwhelmed by anguish. We see that physically and in his actions.
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| Sadie Sink Brendan Frasier play Ellie, Charlie |
I do wonder what all the pieces mean. The church plays a role in this. It's at the root of Charlie's pain, but we have a missionary truly wanting to help Charlie. Ellie helps the missionary, but that seems to be more out of spite than an earnest endeavor. Charlie's desire to do something good is an easy comparison against the church. Assistance never seems to work out as intended. There's also Charlie's urging to write something true. The truth and obscuring the truth also plays a part in this. I'm still trying to piece together how these ideas intertwine.
Moby Dick is about a captain chasing a white whale, a folly that will get him killed. Who is chasing a folly in this movie? Charlie or the people trying to help him? The people trying to help him labor in vain as Charlie doesn't even attempt to help himself. Charlie's desire to do one good thing is for a daughter that doesn't like him. The one goal he has, seems unlikely to manifest. Even if he helps his daughter but it won't overcome his transgressions and pain.
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