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timun · 12-28-2022, 10:29 PM

I watched The Whale tonight, and I'm a little torn about it. On the one hand the things it has to say about religion, forgiveness and absolution are so incredibly overt and facile I came away feeling very cynical. It felt very much like "awards bait", and it most definitely is that.

On the other hand Brendan Fraser really, truly does give a stupendous performance, and ought to be commended for it. I felt the same way about Joaquin Phoenix's performance in Joker: patently obvious awards fodder, but still utterly deserving of the praise. I felt very much like I did after Joker in that while it was a great performance it was a film that I didn't really ever want to see again.

I've read a few reviews since I got home; seems quite mixed not just in the overall response but in the criticism, in that critics who don't like it seem to not like it for a variety of reasons. I find that interesting. Some are quite disdainful of the film's portrayal of obesity, accusing Aronofsky of "fatshaming" and "fatphobia"; I think the point of the plot sailed right over these critics' heads. The character is slowly but surely killing himself: he wants to die. It's not a "lifestyle" that this movie celebrates, inasmuch as it wouldn't celebrate a "cutter" or a "pill-popper".

I was more surprised that Sadie Sink's performance had mixed reviews, I thought she did a fine job. A reviewer from the Globe & Mail said "Sink turns her petulant teenager into someone impossibly shrill and embarrassing to stomach." No ####, Sherlock: you ever been around a teenage girl? They often are "impossibly shrill and embarrassing to stomach." Of course she's petulant: she's a teenager!

That criticism in particular just seemed so ridiculous when I read it, especially given I had a gaggle of teenage girls sat in the row behind me at the showing I went to. While the first 20 minutes or so kept their attention by the half-hour mark whispering and giggling ensued. You wanna talk about petulant? One had the temerity to dangle her feet over the back of the chair about three seats to my left and kick them about, and I was ---->| |<----- this close to losing my #### on her, but fortunately a particularly emotional scene began and put an end to it. By about halfway through one of the group was quietly sobbing, and definitely had a tough time turning the waterworks off throughout the rest of the movie. She got a brief chuckle out of me when a couple of her friends were softly chattering and she quietly, curtly told them "Shut up!". She was a mess at the end, while most of her friends seemed to think it was funny this movie got such a reaction out of her. I didn't say anything to her, but if she ever reads this forum and deduces I was the fella in the row in front: good on ya kid, for letting a movie make you feel feelings and not being "too cool" to show it like your friends.

12-28-2022, 10:29 PM	#5563
timun First Line Centre Join Date: May 2012 Exp:	I watched The Whale tonight, and I'm a little torn about it. On the one hand the things it has to say about religion, forgiveness and absolution are so incredibly overt and facile I came away feeling very cynical. It felt very much like "awards bait", and it most definitely is that. On the other hand Brendan Fraser really, truly does give a stupendous performance, and ought to be commended for it. I felt the same way about Joaquin Phoenix's performance in Joker: patently obvious awards fodder, but still utterly deserving of the praise. I felt very much like I did after Joker in that while it was a great performance it was a film that I didn't really ever want to see again. I've read a few reviews since I got home; seems quite mixed not just in the overall response but in the criticism, in that critics who don't like it seem to not like it for a variety of reasons. I find that interesting. Some are quite disdainful of the film's portrayal of obesity, accusing Aronofsky of "fatshaming" and "fatphobia"; I think the point of the plot sailed right over these critics' heads. The character is slowly but surely killing himself: he wants to die. It's not a "lifestyle" that this movie celebrates, inasmuch as it wouldn't celebrate a "cutter" or a "pill-popper". I was more surprised that Sadie Sink's performance had mixed reviews, I thought she did a fine job. A reviewer from the Globe & Mail said "Sink turns her petulant teenager into someone impossibly shrill and embarrassing to stomach." No ####, Sherlock: you ever been around a teenage girl? They often are "impossibly shrill and embarrassing to stomach." Of course she's petulant: she's a teenager! That criticism in particular just seemed so ridiculous when I read it, especially given I had a gaggle of teenage girls sat in the row behind me at the showing I went to. While the first 20 minutes or so kept their attention by the half-hour mark whispering and giggling ensued. You wanna talk about petulant? One had the temerity to dangle her feet over the back of the chair about three seats to my left and kick them about, and I was ---->\| \|<----- this close to losing my #### on her, but fortunately a particularly emotional scene began and put an end to it. By about halfway through one of the group was quietly sobbing, and definitely had a tough time turning the waterworks off throughout the rest of the movie. She got a brief chuckle out of me when a couple of her friends were softly chattering and she quietly, curtly told them "Shut up!". She was a mess at the end, while most of her friends seemed to think it was funny this movie got such a reaction out of her. I didn't say anything to her, but if she ever reads this forum and deduces I was the fella in the row in front: good on ya kid, for letting a movie make you feel feelings and not being "too cool" to show it like your friends.