Although there is no denying that Darren Aronofsky is an exceptional director, this does not necessarily imply that the movies in his body of work are the most approachable films currently playing in theatres. Aronofsky, whose filmography includes titles such as “Pi” (1998), “Requiem for a Dream” (2000), “The Fountain” (2006),
“The Wrestler” (2008), “Black Swan” (2010), and “Noah” (2014), is frequently the focus of ecstatic reviews; however, the brilliance for which the film industry lauds him is frequently lost on audiences who are not as film-savvy. Sometimes his films become the topic of discussion among his most devoted fans.
This was the case with his most recent film, Mother! (2017), which was met with a much more polarising response from audiences; on the one hand, some viewers described it as masterful, while on the other hand, others described it as pretentious.
In spite of this, the vast majority of movie fans who are familiar with Aronofsky’s body of work would probably concur that the director possesses an incredible cinematic mind and is unwaveringly dedicated to telling stories that, in his opinion, have a pressing need to be told. His filmography is surprisingly diverse, and he has worked with a wide variety of different types of budgets.
This is evidenced by the fact that he directed Noah, a film with an epic biblical scale, and Mother!, a film with a quieter but still chaotic enclosed environment. That movie is The Whale, the story of a six-hundred-pound man based on the stage play of the same name and starring Brendan Fraser in the lead role, making this another major get for the actor after his long hiatus in addition to his role in the upcoming Martin Scorsese picture, Killers of the Flower Moon.
However, Aronofsky’s next project could very well be the smallest scale project he’s worked on yet. However, it looks like it will still include (2023). Aronofsky will be collaborating with A24 for the very first time on The Whale. A24 is a production company that has established itself in recent years as the undisputed face of independent filmmaking.
The company has received universal acclaim for its work in the film industry. The Whale sounds like it should be a surefire hit, what with it having existing source material, a director who has been nominated for an Academy Award, a lead actor who is loved by the audience, and a studio that has an impressive catalog of previous success stories. Nevertheless, despite the fact that it is scheduled for release later on in this year, the specifics of the project have been kept a secret.
The Whale Cast
- Brendan Fraser
- Sadie Sink
- Hong Chau
- Samantha Morton
- Ty Simpkins
- Sathya Sridharan
The Whale Plot
The film “The Whale” tells the story of Charlie, a middle-aged, reclusive online English teacher who lives in a run-down rural apartment. Charlie has resorted to compulsive eating as a means of coping with the guilt and pain he feels for abandoning his family years ago in order to live with his queer lover.
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“The Whale” was directed by Tom McCarthy and stars Tom Hardy (who has since passed away). Charlie, whose health is deteriorating, tries to get in touch with Ellie, his troubled daughter who is 17 years old, in the hopes of making amends and reestablishing a connection with her before it’s too late.
The real-life experiences of Samuel D. Hunter served as the basis for the plot of the one-setting story, which takes place over the course of five days in Charlie’s life.
The playwright shared with Vanity Fair that she “arrived at it through my own personal struggles with it,” explaining that she used to be much larger than she is now. In addition, Hunter mentioned that “The Whale” is intended to be a direct reflection of his own individual experiences:
“This is just my experience; I’m sure there are plenty of people in the world who are tall, happy, and healthy and who are perfectly fine and deserving of respect. But I was using food as a form of self-medication, and it was challenging for me to function in the world as that person. That tale had never been told to me in such detail before.”
The Whale Trailer
The film The Whale has been kept under wraps, as we previously mentioned, and a significant part of the reason for this is that there is no trailer available for the movie.
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The only thing that we currently have that even remotely resembles promotional material is a single still from the movie that depicts Charlie, played by Brendan Fraser, sitting in his living room.
This setting will likely account for the majority of the film’s running time if Darren Aronofsky’s adaptation is true to the stage production from which it was adapted.
The Whale Release Date
Just in time to be eligible for what is sure to be a competitive awards season, The Whale has recently been officially slated for a wider release on Friday, December 9th, 2022. This announcement was made by the distributors of the film.
The official debut of The Whale will take place on September 4th at the Venice Film Festival. The film will then go on to play at a number of other festivals around the world. In addition to being shown at film festivals, the early buzz surrounding the film has already earned Brendan Fraser the TIFF Tribute Award.
This is a very good sign for The Whale’s prospects of being nominated for or winning an award at an award show.
Is There a Play That Serves as Its Basis?
Yes, The Whale is an adaptation of Samuel D. Hunter’s off-Broadway play of the same name, which he also penned and is responsible for writing the screenplay for the movie version of the play.
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Even though the show did not end up on one of the big illuminated signs on Broadway, it nonetheless received numerous prestigious awards and received rave reviews. The play that won the Lucille Lortel Award was, according to the Chicago Tribune, “a remarkably eloquent exploration of the way the need for honesty overwhelms us when we sense that our time is short.”
The fact that Hunter was so directly involved in the writing process is a pretty good sign that this will be faithful to the original story, which was the thing that won the hearts and minds of so many people working in the theatre world.
Final Words
Darren Aronofsky’s filmography is surprisingly diverse, and he has worked with a wide variety of different types of budgets. The Whale, the story of a six-hundred-pound man based on the stage play of the same name, will be his first collaboration with A24.
The film “The Whale” is scheduled for release later this year. The plot is based on the real-life experiences of playwright Samuel D. Hunter. The Whale is an adaptation of Samuel D. Hunter’s off-Broadway play of the same name.
The film will make its debut at the Venice Film Festival on September 4th. It will then go on to play at a number of other film festivals around the world.