The Whale: the hope of love

There is films that break you and take a while to recover from. Movies that make you feel as if they were grabbing your heart and squeezing it little by little. Movies that leave you with everything removed inside and with which crying is not negotiable. “The Whale” is one of them. The return to the screens of the iconic brendan fraser has earned him the greatest recognition of his career, when last Sunday he took –finally– the Oscar to best Actorafter years of rejection and abandonment of the industry.

Without much more to offer us than a house as the only setting and with few characters -since it is based on the play of the same name by Samuel Hunter-, the simplicity of the movie in the technical aspects it leaves a giant space for the story to take all the prominence. The film portrays the heartbreaking struggle of a man who deals with the loss of great loves, loneliness from a society that despises him and turns its back on him, depression from an unwanted life and a disease that is not talked about enough. in these times: morbid obesity, a disease that, like any other, comes with symptoms, with devastating effects, with pain and suffering. A teacher who teaches from the comfort of his chair –without showing himself to his students–, a lover who has lost the love of his life in the most cruel way possible, and a father who receives an unexpected visit from the daughter he abandoned years ago. and that today she wants to see him dead. This is all charlie (Fraser). And this internal hell that he faces is also reflected in the external chaos, in every detail of his surroundings: the extreme disorder, the dirty spaces and disproportionate amounts of food of all kinds, the binge eating – which, we cannot deny, at times can be repulsive – and even the little desire to socialize that he has left. It is devastating to accompany Charlie in a process in which he has lost all self-sufficiency and has given in to abandonment.

The latter is perhaps the most shocking. The war with his demons has caused Charlie to lose the battle. His heart is physically in the final stretch and the massive weight gain has only been the consequence of his self-sabotage, of a life that has taken away everything he loved and, repeatedly, we hear him say that he is not interested in being saved no way. However, in the midst of this tragedy, Charlie finds a small ray of light: an essay on the most famous whale in literature, Moby Dick, works as his lifeline to rescue him when he needs it most. He recites the lines from his memory, with passion and a calmness that already towards the end of the movie We understand where it comes from. If I’m honest, the storyline of this essay and her relationship with Charlie broke me the most. brendan fraser He has a special angel in his eyes that destroys us in just a couple of seconds and, hand in hand with the always wonderful direction of Darren Aronofskythey build a character that leaves strong marks on our souls.

The rest of the performances are no exception: Sadie Sink’s work as Ellie, Charlie’s daughter, is impressive and should have been considered – even before Hong Chau – for the best supporting actress category; without a doubt, one of the biggest absences this awards season. Needless to mention the spectacular characterization task of the makeup and wardrobe team, who also won a statuette, to turn Fraser into a 270-kilo man.

There is much more to say about “The Whale”, but it is better if one goes to see it. She is in theaters and surely she will stay there for a long time. Take a good box of tissues, and sweetheart for the heart afterwards; I still need it.