Stipan also adds LiveGrain real-time texture mapping throughout the entire film. He dialed in pronounced digital grain to simulate the look of 16-millimeter material blown up. As for the grade itself, Stipan notes, “With a film like this, you want to keep it natural looking and focus on the details.
The Whale is difficult to watch, not because of Charlie's size but because it feels as if he is treated as a grotesque, something to be disgusted by, a monster with a heart of gold.
Alan's parents and community were not accepting of his homosexuality, and his battle with depression resulted in eating and sleeping disorders, leading to his suicide. After Alan's death, Charlie fell into a deep depression and began over-eating, which led to his severe obesity.
This is typical of films adapted from stage plays, as The Whale was adapted from the screenwriter's (Samuel D. Hunter) stage play of the same name. Aronofsky paints a picture of this man's life so bleak and pathetic that it was often difficult to watch — and some might say over the top.
Director Darren Aronofsky presents this film in an aspect ratio of 4:3, which was the universal standard for 35 mm celluloid. Aronofsky though shot this film using a digital camera, so the aspect ratio isn't done out of respect to traditional celluloid but more to emphasize his protagonist and his weight.
Religious trauma leading to suicide, love, loss, secrets, regret, redemption, and binge eating disorder are themes in Darren Aronofsky's The Whale. Throughout the movie, Charlie inflicted more pain and trauma on his body with every episode of binge eating. He eats to numb his pain but also sadly to harm himself.
In Herman Melville's iconic book, the whale was a metaphor for the sheer force of nature indifferent to the passions of humanity. In Aronofsky's film, "the whale" metaphor refers to Charlie although it has nothing to do with his weight. As opposed to Melville's great white whale, Charlie is anything but indifferent.
Why is The Whale being accused of fatphobia? Some of the film's critics believe it perpetuates tired tropes of fat people as suffering, chronically depressed and binge eating.
Within the film, the television shows the unfolding of the 2016 Republican Party presidential primaries. In the original play, Thomas, an Evangelical Christian missionary, is instead a Mormon missionary. The Liz character, in the original play and in the screenplay, did not have her ethnic background or race specified.
TRIGGER WARNING: The script for this film contains extensive fatphobia. Backstories involve homophobic abuse, particularly from religious organizations. The film's cynical take on religion may be upsetting to a churchgoing audience.
Unquestionably, “The Whale” portrays many of Charlie's circumstances as overwhelmingly sad and unfortunate. It depicts the devastating impacts of the complex interplay between Charlie's relationship with his weight and depression on his self-worth and capacity to be involved in his daughter's life.
The most obvious conclusion to draw from this ending is that Charlie has perished from the congestive heart failure that is slowly killing him over the course of the film. The movie catalogs his final days, beginning on a Monday when his dear friend and nurse, Liz (Hong Chau), says he will be dead by the weekend.
Alan's death greatly affected Charlie and caused him to fall into a deep depression, which would result in Charlie developing an eating disorder that is the reason for his obesity and chronic health problems. Reluctant to seek medical treatment, Charlie is looked after by his friend Liz, who was Alan's sister.
The Whale is not a true story but is based on a 2012 play by Samuel D. Hunter, who also wrote the film. Dale Calandra played the original Charlie in a similar transformation to Fraser's for The Whale movie, during the play's original run at the Victory Gardens Biograph Theater in Chicago.
What to Know. Held together by a killer Brendan Fraser, The Whale sings a song of empathy that will leave most viewers blubbering. With a heartbreaking story brought powerfully to life by Brendan Fraser's starring performance, The Whale's as hard to watch as it is to look away from.
A man is shown masturbating (his hand is down his pants) and watching a pornographic video (one person kisses and thrusts behind another). The main character is also seen shirtless in the shower, and there's some strong sex-related dialogue.
The film suggests redemption has to be earned... but that it must also come from the desire to make amends. The Whale ending explored Charlie's desire to help Ellie find happiness before he dies. This is the only way he feels will absolve him of his past mistakes.
But Fraser has his reasons; issues with his own health and his mothers who has since passed away, personal issues, and being the target of sexual harassment have been cited as reasons he left and stayed away. A journey from which, according to his last performance, he seems to have recovered successfully.
The movie is a moving portrait of a man in search of redemption for his past transgressions. But what blew me away was the incisive commentary on Christianity peppered throughout its nearly two-hour runtime.
Charlie eats to sadly harm himself. He is the manifestation of trauma. That what he puts into his body for all that harm that he has endured all his life, he's been derided. It's manifest on who he is as a human being, that's a lot of pain for this man.
Emphasizing whole, nutrient-rich foods over processed options, Fraser's approach underscores the adage "you are what you eat." His diet focused on lean proteins, vegetables, fruits, and whole grains, facilitating not just weight loss but improved overall health.
Having grown angry at the world due to him abandoning her and her mother for his late boyfriend Alan, she acts hostile and abusive to anyone she comes close to and wants absolutely nothing to do with Charlie, who makes efforts to try and reconnect with her.
The Whale tackles themes of redemption, being oneself, and dealing with grief. Brendan Fraser showcased that and ultimately won an Oscar for his performance as Charlie. The Whale ending brought the powerful and intense drama to a conclusion that requires some more analysis.
"The way the play ends is, Ellie has the last line of the essay: 'It made me feel glad for my…' And she's cut off by the stage direction – 'a sharp intake of breath'.
