The Whale
Movie, 2022, The 2020s, Set in An Idaho apartment
The Whale is #27 of 37 in release order and #27 of 37 in chronological order in the A24.
The story
A reclusive English teacher suffering from severe obesity attempts to reconnect with his estranged teenage daughter for one last chance at redemption.
The Whale recap
The Whale (2022) follows Charlie, a reclusive 600-pound English teacher, who tries to reconnect with his estranged teenage daughter in his final week. Darren Aronofsky directs from Samuel D. Hunter's adaptation of his own play, nearly all of it set in one Idaho apartment. Charlie (Brendan Fraser) teaches online writing classes with his camera switched off and refuses hospital care for his failing heart. His friend Liz (Hong Chau), a nurse, checks on him daily; she is the sister of Alan, the student Charlie left his wife for, whose suicide sent Charlie into grief and binge eating. A young missionary, Thomas (Ty Simpkins), turns up and keeps trying to save him. Charlie secretly offers his daughter Ellie (Sadie Sink), who is angry and cruel, his savings if she visits, and writes her essays for her. Her mother Mary (Samantha Morton) comes once. Fraser won the Oscar for Best Actor. The film stands alone.
The Whale ending explained
The Whale ends with Charlie standing up and walking toward Ellie. He has been fired after telling his students to write something honest, turned on his camera for them and thrown his laptop. Ellie arrives furious about a failing grade, and he asks her to read the essay he has kept for years: one she wrote in eighth grade about Moby-Dick, which he thinks is the most honest thing he has read. As she reads, Charlie rises unaided from the couch, they smile at each other, and he lifts off the floor into white light, the film implying his death.
Post-credits scenes
No. The Whale has no mid- or post-credits scene.
Where to watch The Whale
The Whale isn't on a US streaming service right now. You can rent or buy it on Amazon, Apple TV, and Google Play.
Ratings
IMDb 7.6/10, Rotten Tomatoes 64%
Where it fits
Cast
- Brendan Fraser as Charlie
- Sadie Sink as Ellie
- Ty Simpkins as Thomas
- Hong Chau as Liz
- Samantha Morton as Mary
- Sathya Sridharan as Dan the Pizza Man
- Jacey Sink as Young Ellie
- Allison Altman as Young Mary (uncredited)
- Lance Oppenheim as Julian (uncredited)
- Grace Perkins as Maddie (uncredited)
- Wilhelm Schalaudek as Liam (uncredited)
- Glenn Mullins as Young Charlie (uncredited)
Directed by Darren Aronofsky.