The Whale
Director: Darren Aronofsky Run Time: 117 min. Rating: R Release Year: 2022
Starring: Brendan Fraser, Hong Chau, Sadie Sink, Samantha Morton, Ty Simpkins
A reclusive English teacher suffering from severe obesity attempts to reconnect with his estranged teenage daughter for one last chance at redemption. Based on the acclaimed play by Samuel D. Hunter.
Growing up, Darren Arronofsky was always artistic: he loved classic movies and, as a teenager, he even spent time doing graffiti art. He studied film at Harvard University and won several film awards after completing his senior thesis film, “Supermarket Sweep”, starring Sean Gullette, which went on to becoming a National Student Academy Award finalist. Aronofsky didn’t make a feature film until five years later, in February 1996, where he began creating the concept for Pi (1998). After Darren’s script for Pi (1998) received great reactions from friends, he began production. The film re-teamed Aronofsky with Gullette, who played the lead. This went on to further successes, such as Requiem for a Dream (2000), The Wrestler (2008) and Black Swan (2010). Most recently, he completed the films Noah (2014) and Mother! (2017).
“Fraser delivers the best work of his career.” ~ Richard Roeper, Chicago Sun Times
“Fraser’s portrayal … is utterly transformative. Bearing witness to Fraser’s genius is well worth the existential torment The Whale may inflict.” ~ Candice McMillan, Seattle Refined