At the turn of the millennium, Brendan Fraser was one of the most popular Hollywood stars. The reason for this was not least his performance in the blockbuster adventure “The Mummy”, which has now become a classic, in which Fraser appeared for the first time as Rick O’Connell, who battles old, dark forces . However, in recent years it has become very quiet around the actor, which was mainly due to personal reasons.
After gradually returning to the stage in a few supporting roles, Brendan Fraser finally made his big comeback with the drama “The Whale”. Not only did he receive the Oscar for Best Actor for the role this year. Darren Aronofsky’s film (“Requiem For A Dream”) is also very strong.
Did you miss “The Whale” in the cinema and would you like to finally get to know one of the big highlights of the year? No problem, because the film is now available with a Paramount+ subscription.
That’s what ‘The Whale’ is about
Charlie (Brendan Fraser) left his former family many years ago to live with a man. After he dies, Charlie falls into a mental hole. Due to the intense grief, the man, who now weighs more than 270 kilos, develops an eating disorder and can no longer carry out his daily life without help. At least he still has his job as an English professor, which you do from home with your webcam turned off.
When his past finally catches up with him, he decides to contact his 17-year-old daughter Ellie (Sadie Sink) to reconcile with her. As his health becomes increasingly critical, he does everything he can to save himself and his daughter’s future. A time comes that demands everything from him…
A lesson in humanity
In the official FILMSTARTS review, “The Whale” received an incredible 4.5 out of 5 possible stars. In his conclusion, our editor-in-chief Christoph Petersen writes:
“Brendan Fraser, Sadie Sink and Hong Chau deliver three of the year’s best performances in this astonishingly faithful stage adaptation – and at the same time give us a lesson in empathy and humanity that, under Darran Aronfsky’s relatively reserved direction, is absolutely thrilling until the heartbreaking final shot.
So if you are once again in the mood for a deeply moving and under-your-skin drama that is not only about pity for the protagonist marked by fate, but also leaves him with the necessary dignity throughout, then “The Whale” is the place for you. the right adress. Just like with ‘The Wrestler’, director Darren Aronofsky proves here that he is a great judge of character.