The director of Pi, Requiem for a Dream, Black Swan, and Mother!, Darren Aronofsky has never been one to play safe. Here, in his first film in five years, Aronofsky bucks expectations again with a chamber piece about an English teacher, Charlie (Brendan Fraser, still recognizable under layers of latex), who appears to be on the verge of eating himself to death. The term “morbidly obese” is rightfully considered problematic, but in Charlie’s case it may apply: his eating is a kind of death wish, a semi-conscious bid to be reunited with his dead, gay lover. Before that happens, he reaches out to the teenage daughter he hasn’t seen in ten years.
Adapted from Samuel D. Hunter’s play, The Whale confronts prejudice in all shapes and sizes. It’s a gripping, compassionate drama which keeps us hooked without leaving the confines of Charlie’s apartment. Along with what is probably Fraser’s career-best performance, there’s sterling work here from Hong Chau (Downsizing) as his friend and de facto nurse, Samantha Morton as his ex-wife, and Sadie Sink (Stranger Things) as his rebellious daughter, Ellie.
Presented by
Darren Aronofsky
Brendan Fraser, Hong Chau, Sadie Sink, Ty Simpkins, Samantha Morton
USA
2022
English
Self Harm
Book Tickets
Missing VIFF? Check out what's playing at the VIFF Centre
Palimpsest: The Story of a Name
Drawing on home movies and diaries from the 1930s, 40s, 50s and 60s, Canadian filmmaker Mary Stephen (Eric Rohmer's editor for many years) investigates the origins of her surname. After all, she was born in Hong Kong to Chinese parents. Or were they... ?
The Matrix
Can a computer hacker save the world? Maybe if you hack deep enough... One of the most influential movies of the past quarter-century. The Matrix didn't just change the way films looked and moved, it altered the way we perceived the world(s).
Mary Oliver: Saved by the Beauty of the World
Sasha Waters' documentary takes us through the life of America's best-selling late twentieth century poet, a private woman who shared her innermost thoughts and made them indispensable.
Late Fame
Based on a novella by Arthur Schnitzler (Eyes Wide Shut) this is a sly, poignant comedy about vanity and art from director Kent Jones, starring Willem Dafoe as a mailman belatedly acclaimed for a book of poetry he wrote in his youth.
The Sixth Sense
"I see dead people." Does 10-year-old Cole (Haley Joel Osment) have the sixth sense, as he claims — or is this sensitive, unusual child responding to stress, as his mother (Toni Collette) would like to believe? Psychologist Bruce Willis finds out.
Office Space
This razor sharp comedy from Mike Judge (King of the Hill) captures the indignities of life as a wage slave with rare acumen and caustic wit. Evidently the impending millennial bug weighed heavily on people's minds back in 1999.
Credits
Executive Producer
Scott Franklin, Tyson Bidner
Producer
Jeremy Dawson, Ari Handel, Darren Aronofsky
Screenwriter
Samuel D. Hunter
Cinematography
Matthew Libatique
Editor
Andrew Weisblum
Production Design
Mark Friedberg, Robert Pyzocha
Original Music
Rob Simonsen