Review: The Whale

You always have to prepare yourself for a new Darren Aronofsky feature.

With many of his projects designed to purposefully unsettle the viewer, this talented director still makes them in such a way that we can't help ourselves but get more from it as they are very well made and usually produce award-winning performances.

Pretty much the whole buzz was about the resurgence in the career of Brendan Fraser. After making a name for themselves back in the late 90's and most of the 2000's, the internet has been pushing for Fraser to be put back into major projects. Their nostalgia for him being part of some fun mainstream films has had the people believing he has more to give back to this industry.

So when word was spreading about awards possibly coming his way through this film, I was naturally excited to see not only a new Aronofsky feature, but quite possibly the return of Fraser.

Already from the start, we're going through all the motions. The uncomfortable on-screen content, the range of emotions coming from the characters and the odd sprinkle of charm to avoid making it completely dark and depressing.

You could tell it was originally a play, as the whole design of it is very stagey. That might not be to everyone's tastes. I'm usually fine with it and on the occasion, I largely am.

The cruelty, craziness and dark humour from some of these characters made me forget how Aronofsky does not hold back on anything. It just made the whole experience more and more devastating.

The cast is small, but it is packed with some strong performances that makes it an incredibly engaging watch. Brendan Fraser does indeed meet the hype that we've all been hearing. The way he controls the screen and embodies his transformation gives us something highly memorable that hopefully begins a second career for this talented individual.

Youngster Sadie Sink really shines as a supporting role. The brutally honest personality this character makes you both hate her and be highly engaging with. Sink's aggression and confidence in this performance showed and almost stole the show for me.

The same can also be said for Hong Chau and Samantha Morton. Both of them give strong emotional moments that got a good reaction from me. With Morton in particular, it reminds me how amazing of an actor she is and yet we don't see in her in big starring roles. We definitely need more Samantha Morton in big character study projects.

Almost all of the film is in one location and I'm always up for as concept like that as that usually makes the surroundings a character in itself as this did exactly that.

The score and sound design is noticeably effective to enhances the films strongest moments.

As mentioned earlier like with most Aronofsky films, it's not for everyone. There are some uncomfortable and disgusting moments, it's on the nose in numerous ways and the very final scene is a bit too much for me.

But I think while it is a hard watch, there was enough strength in a lot of its aspects that made it work for me. It deals with tough themes that are designed to push the viewer such as abuse, forgiveness, faith, relationships as well as Aronofsky's links with old testament religion which has become a regular trope in his recent projects.

Plus, I think there will be a lot of relatable themes that will resonate with a number of demographics. The rawness and devastation in its tone will naturally bring strong reactions whether you end up liking it or not. That for me is the beauty of Aronofsky's work. He's never afraid to tip-toe around the sensitive parts, he just goes for it and see if it will work.

While I can't see myself watching this again, it still feels like a strong piece of work. The performances are great and it makes the content accessible instead of just being grotesque and avoids making the portrayal of the central character be closer to a performer at a freak show.

Rating: 8/10