It’s not a complicated film, nor as controversial as Aronosfky’s previous titles, but The Whale can also open a debate among viewers.
You have been to the cinema and you have finally seen The Whale?
It is very likely that you discussed it on the way out with the people who were with you. Or with some unknown spectators, traveling companions of the same screening time. Or perhaps alone different thoughts are piled up in your head, in the wake of the emotions experienced. This article does not aim to give you The Whale’s explanation, as there is no need to do so. What we see on screen is all understandable, including the poetic license one takes Darren Aronofsky to close the story arc. The director has signed much more controversial stories than this one and, in case you haven’t seen them, it is your duty (in cultural terms) to recover his previous films: Madre!, Noah, The black Swan, The Wrestler, The tree of Life, The delirium theorem and, for strong stomachs, Requiem for a Dream.
We all agreed that the performance of Brendan Fraser? With this role, the actor puts a seal on his difficult artistic rebirth. On the night between 12 and 13 March we will know if of the three nominations for the Oscar Award That The Whale received (best make-up, best supporting actress for Hong Chaubest leading actor), at least that of Fraser it will turn into a win. Returning to the film, the debate ignites between those who have been easily drawn into the psychology of the characters and those who have not succeeded due to not having appreciated some passages of the story judged to be manipulative, such as the optimism and goodness of the protagonist which break without hope against his fate.
Read also The Whale: the abyss of human feeling opens up between the Bible and Moby Dick
The Whale: Darren Aronofsky
The impact that The Whale is arousing on the spectators does not find a unanimous reaction. To a ruthless, sadistic and claustrophobic staging (the film is based on the play by Samuel D. Hunter) the director adds the old format in 4/3 which further compresses the spaces of the shot to reduce the possibility of wide-ranging even for the viewer, in an attempt to identify himself with Charlie and the hiss of the lungs crushed by his own ribcage. Most who see the film will be in tears as the credits roll. Others, on the other hand, will experience an effect of detachment, perceiving the emotional climax of the film as excessive. Someone will want to look for meaning in the last minute of the film, someone else will be satisfied with the director’s choice.
Below, in a nutshell, Darren Aronosfky offers the meaning of the story of the film:
I think The Whale is just like the Mody Dick metaphor. They’re chasing the whale, but they’re not actually chasing it. There is a void in these characters and the only way to fill it is to relate to each other. I think that’s what the film is about.
