It was the talk of Toronto International Film Festival, New York Film Festival, BFI London Film Festival, and Venice Film Festival (beyond all the Don’t Worry Darling drama). Now, The Whale is coming to cinemas, with the trailer out from A24 today.
Brendan Fraser received a standing ovation at basically all of them (six minutes long at Venice) for his leading performance in Darren Aronofsky’s adaptation of the Samuel D. Hunter play. The drama centres on an English teacher struggling through grief, trying to forge a relationship with his teenage daughter (Sadie Sink), and grappling with a life-threatening eating disorder.
The film has seen a significant amount of critical discussion (with some critics notably using fatphobic language) and backlash against the fact that Fraser wears a “fat suit” to play the protagonist. Notably, Fraser has said in a Vanity Fair interview that he worked with Obesity Action Coalition to develop his character mindfully.
The Whale is coming to cinemas Dec. 9. It’s one of the standout films from this year’s TIFF: here’s the others.
