One of the best films of 2022 lands on Netflix today, though fair warning: Get your tissue box ready. This one’s a tear-jerker.
The Whale, directed by Darren Aronofsky, is a drama centered on Charlie, a reclusive and morbidly obese English teacher played by Brendan Fraser, who has isolated himself from the world due to shame and guilt over his condition. Living in a small apartment and teaching classes online with his camera off, Charlie spends his days attempting to reconnect with his estranged teenage daughter, Ellie, played by Sadie Sink who we all know from Netflix’s hit show, Stranger Things as Max.
Charlie’s health deteriorates due to his excessive weight and eating habits, and his closest connection to the outside world is Liz, played by Hong Chau, a nurse and friend who cares deeply about him but is troubled by his refusal to seek medical help. Meanwhile, Ellie resents Charlie for abandoning her and her mother years ago, but Charlie sees reconnecting with her as a final chance at redemption.
Brendan Fraser (The Whale)
The movie only has a 64% on Rotten Tomatoes, which I find incredibly surprising given the heartwrenching performances (then again, I’m often baffled by review scores). Audiences, however, rate it as “Verified Hot” with a 91% Audience Score/Popcornmeter. That seems more in-line with the show’s many awards, though the most prominent all went to Fraser including an Oscar for Best Actor, as well as Best Actor awards at the Screen Actors Guild Awards, Critics’ Choice Movie Awards and Hollywood Critics Association Awards.
This is the first time the film will be available on Netflix, so if you’ve been waiting to see it, this cold November weekend might be just the right time to grab the aforementioned box of tissues and prepare for a good cry. Aronofksy’s other films include downers like Requiem for a Dream (2000), Black Swan (2010) and the very bizarre psychological thriller Pi (1998) among many others.
If you want something funnier, and a little spookier for this Halloween / Dia de los muertos weekend, Jack Blacks’ Goosebumps also just landed on Netflix. For the sci-fi oriented, check out Tom Cruise in Oblivion. And for the romantically-minded, the classic Brat Pack film Sixteen Candles drops today as well.
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