Heartland: The Whale

Everything you've heard about Brendan Fraser's transformative performance is true. Darren Aronofsky's film is an emotional powerhouse about redemption and love.

Editor’s note: the studio is requesting only capsule reviews be published prior to the film’s wide release in December.

Everything you’ve heard about Brendan Fraser’s transformative performance in “The Whale” is true. He plays Charlie, a dying 600-pound man who’s drowning himself in sorrow for his dead partner and regret for having abandoned his daughter, now a high school senior played magnificently by Sadie Sink. Both should earn Oscar nods when the nominations are announced, and at this point every actor in the Academy Award race is lining up behind the bar Fraser has set.

People will talk about the prosthetics Fraser wears to play Charlie. The truth is, after the first five minutes you forget all about them. Fraser himself has seen his acting roles and career prospects changed as his own real-life appearance has. Here’s an example of an actor embracing that challenge rather than running away from it. I’m hoping this will lead to a fantastic second phase of Fraser’s career centered around meaty character roles. Aronofsky genuinely surprised me with this film. He is not what you’d call a mawkish, sentimental filmmaker. Those words don’t adequately describe “The Whale,” but it’s a picture bound together by the emotional journey of its main character. Fraser is sympathetic rather than pathetic, as Charlie retains his dignity and bright optimism even as he marches toward death.

What. A. Triumph.