← Back to results
The Whale
2022 117 min United States of America R 18+
★7.8
Drama
Director: Darren Aronofsky
🎭 Based on
«The Whale»
bySamuel D. Hunter
Trailers
EN
EN
EN
EN
EN
EN
EN
EN
EN
EN
EN
EN
EN
EN
EN
EN
EN
EN
Description
A reclusive English teacher suffering from severe obesity attempts to reconnect with his estranged teenage daughter for one last chance at redemption.
Budget:
$3M
US Gross:
$17.46M
Worldwide:
$57.62M
Starring
Brendan Fraser
Actor
Sadie Sink
Actor
Ty Simpkins
Actor
Awards
Academy Awards 2023
— Best Actor
Academy Awards 2023
— Best Makeup and Hairstyling
Screen Actors Guild Awards 2023
— Best Actor
BAFTA 2023
— Best Actor
Screen Actors Guild Awards 2023
— Best Supporting Actress
Academy Awards 2023
— Best Supporting Actress
BAFTA 2023
— Best Supporting Actress
BAFTA 2023
— Best Makeup and Hairstyling
BAFTA 2023
— Best Adapted Screenplay
Venice Film Festival 2022
— Golden Lion
Venice Film Festival 2022
— Sorriso Diverso Award – Best Foreign Language Film
Golden Globe 2023
— Best Actor (Drama)
Key opinion
The Whale is a polarizing character study that functions primarily as a showcase for Brendan Fraser's widely lauded, career-defining performance. While the film is praised for its emotional intensity and raw empathy, it faces significant criticism for its stage-bound structure, potentially manipulative tone, and the controversial, visceral depiction of its protagonist's obesity.
| Acting | Brendan Fraser delivers an extraordinary, career-best performance that anchors the entire film through his physical transformation and emotional depth. | |
| Acting | The supporting cast, particularly Hong Chau, provides strong, charismatic performances that effectively balance the emotional weight of the central narrative. | |
| Adaptation | The film’s screenplay struggles to transcend its theatrical roots, resulting in a static, single-room setting that fails to fully adapt into a cinematic experience. | |
| Emotion | Opinions on the film's emotional impact are divided: some find it a profoundly moving, honest portrayal of redemption, while others perceive it as gratuitously manipulative and emotionally hollow. | |
| Theme | The portrayal of the protagonist's body is a point of intense contention, with some viewing it as an uncompromising, unflinching reality of trauma, while others see it as exploitative and stigmatizing. | |
| Pacing | The inclusion of secondary subplots, particularly involving the missionary character, disrupts the narrative focus and causes the film's pacing to drag. |