How do you even begin to talk a very troubled person out of something they don't want to get out of in the first place? The dilemma of watching someone you care about fall apart, and there's nothing you can do about it unless they start helping themselves first.
If I had to put The Whale in a nutshell, that's how I would put it.
Three things that make The Whale powerful: the performances, the script, and the score. Brendan Fraser (Charlie) is the person most applauded for his acting, but both Hong Chau (Liz) and Sadie Sink (Ellie) performed amazingly as well and made undeniable contributions that simply elicited strong emotions just as well as Brendan did. The three of them together made magic, and combined with the rest of the supporting cast, created something very memorable under the direction of Darren Aronofsky. Rob Simonsen's score further amplifies the emotions for an already well-written script.
If I had to nitpick on one bit, it is that perhaps I wasn't completely sold on one interaction that Charlie has. It wasn't completely pointless, but it seemed less significant than it was meant to be. A trivial matter however in the film's entirety.
At its core, this was simply supposed to be about a very regretful man stuck with his demons dealing with and attempting to form connections with people in and around his life. I find it confusing how the casting apparently caused controversy amongst some viewers who have voiced opinions on the specific type of person who should have played the role of Charlie, and over how people of this size are depicted. Is the impact of a performance supposed to be fully hinged on what's "appropriate" to some? It is unfortunate that this fixation on appearances and misconstruing of the themes that the Whale uses has led others to conclude that it shames the type of people that Charlie portrays. Understanding, compassion, and love, were central to Charlie's interactions with the people he formed relationships with, just as much as the negative and more turbulent emotions were.
Charlie made my heart feel heavy and Ellie shattered it. The Whale is both beautiful and stunning and deserves every love and praise that it gets. Seeing this on the big screen with only a handful of others watching was an entirely unique experience.
If I had to put The Whale in a nutshell, that's how I would put it.
Three things that make The Whale powerful: the performances, the script, and the score. Brendan Fraser (Charlie) is the person most applauded for his acting, but both Hong Chau (Liz) and Sadie Sink (Ellie) performed amazingly as well and made undeniable contributions that simply elicited strong emotions just as well as Brendan did. The three of them together made magic, and combined with the rest of the supporting cast, created something very memorable under the direction of Darren Aronofsky. Rob Simonsen's score further amplifies the emotions for an already well-written script.
If I had to nitpick on one bit, it is that perhaps I wasn't completely sold on one interaction that Charlie has. It wasn't completely pointless, but it seemed less significant than it was meant to be. A trivial matter however in the film's entirety.
At its core, this was simply supposed to be about a very regretful man stuck with his demons dealing with and attempting to form connections with people in and around his life. I find it confusing how the casting apparently caused controversy amongst some viewers who have voiced opinions on the specific type of person who should have played the role of Charlie, and over how people of this size are depicted. Is the impact of a performance supposed to be fully hinged on what's "appropriate" to some? It is unfortunate that this fixation on appearances and misconstruing of the themes that the Whale uses has led others to conclude that it shames the type of people that Charlie portrays. Understanding, compassion, and love, were central to Charlie's interactions with the people he formed relationships with, just as much as the negative and more turbulent emotions were.
Charlie made my heart feel heavy and Ellie shattered it. The Whale is both beautiful and stunning and deserves every love and praise that it gets. Seeing this on the big screen with only a handful of others watching was an entirely unique experience.
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