You want that last second to be a combination of incredible pain and incredible triumph because, however briefly it is that they connect, its still an achievement for him., Ellie says terrible, devastating things to Charlie throughout the whole thing, but he loves her so much that it doesnt even hurt him, said Matthew Arkin, who played Charlie at South Coast Repertory. Throughout The Whale, Charlie is visited by his estranged and troubled daughter, Ellie (Sadie Sink), and his frustrated ex-wife, Mary (Samantha Morton), both of whom Charlie abandoned when he ended his marriage and came out as gay; Liz (Hong Chau), a conflicted caregiver who is also the sibling of Charlies late lover; and Thomas (Ty Simpkins), a fundamentalist missionary who is far from home. movie Alan was Lizs brother and was part of a New Life church that his father ran. As for whether Hunter feels Charlie is actually walking in the final shot, he says it's open for interpretation. Directed by Darren Aronofsky from a screenplay by Samuel D. Hunter, The Whale ends on a somber yet hopeful note. All rights reserved. . Liz blames New Life for her brothers extreme unhappinessbecause he was told his sexuality went against the will of Godwhich eventually led to Alan jumping off a bridge and killing himself. Copyright 2023 Meredith Corporation. Liz brings Charlie a wheelchair to help him move around his house. When I started writing The Whale, I think it all just came pouring out of me.. She is angry at him for leaving her and cheating on her mother and for never staying in touch. Every night, it was a journey, and it wasnt easy to watch or to perform, recalled Tom Alan Robbins, who starred in the 2012 world premiere in Denver. Whats New with RingCentral? Moved by their honesty, he vows to be honest in return and turns on his web camera to show them his entire body. On the TV side he enjoys Peaky Blinders, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Saturday Night Live, Only Murders in the Building and is always up for a Seinfeld rerun. As written in Hunters script, the stage directions of that breath simply read, A sharp intake of breath. Whether Charlie dies at the end of The Whale is up for debate. this link is to an external site that may or may not meet accessibility guidelines. It becomes clear that Charlie is dying, and he begs Ellie to read the essay, which she does. Numerous stagings of The Whale accentuate the pressure-cooker effect by designing Charlies living room, where the entirety of the play unfolds, with an extra sense of claustrophobia or isolation. Charlie tells Liz that he believe Ellie ratted. Charlie and Ellie smile at each other. Liz then declares that Charlie will die soon. The finale kicks off with a bittersweet triumph for Arisu and the gang. CMPNY It's easy to get swept up in the emotions of Darren Aronofsky's searing drama The Whale, which follows Brendan Fraser as Charlie, a reclusive, 600-pound literature professor struggling, in the last days of his life, to reconnect with the teenage daughter, Ellie (Sadie Sink), whom he abandoned years prior. While Ellie doesnt verbalise her motives behind it, she ends up intentionally or unintentionally helping Thomas. The Whale writer Samuel D Hunter has opened up about how he had no idea that the film's ending had changed from the play. There was a problem. NOTICE: Spoilers ahead for The whale. Charlie, a gay man, left Ellie and her mom when Ellie was 8 because he fell in love with one of his (adult) students. Thomas also wants to be redeemed by bringing Charlie back to religion and puts forth tremendous effort to do so. Numerous stagings of The Whale accentuate the pressure-cooker effect by designing Charlies living room, where the entirety of the play unfolds, with an extra sense of claustrophobia or isolation. Europe Charlies health is rapidly declining. He reads some of his students responses to his prompt to be honest. Mandalorian's return has already made big mistake, How to watch all Star Wars in chronological order, Never Have I Ever season 4 All you need to know, The Whale may end in a seemingly confusing way, but it's not, DIGITAL SPY, PART OF THE HEARST UK ENTERTAINMENT NETWORK. Offers may be subject to change without notice. So in that final moment, whatever flaws he had, whatever mistakes he made and in whatever ways he couldnt love himself enough, he lived a life redeemed, because he gave everything to save his daughter.. Your email address will not be published. Why an Aviation Management Degree is Important? He see it as a signifier of her purity, honesty, and unbridled passion. ET. Editor's Note: The following are spoilers for The Whale. She cries as she wants him to go to the hospital when he cries in pain. What is the average term for a small business loan? Travel Brendan Fraser as Charlie in The Whale. Comparing BlueJeans Virtual Meeting to Pexip. How Darren Aronofsky Built His One-Room Set, Stream It Or Skip It: The Whale on VOD, Darren Aronofsky's Wildly Uncomfortable Oscar Bid for Brendan Fraser, How To Watch 'The Whale,' Now Available From On-Demand Retailers, Hoda Kotb's 'Today Show' Absence Finally Explained, but Her Return Is Still Unclear, ABC Staff Go "Zero Contact" With Amy Robach and T.J. Holmes, Encouraged to "Never Mention Their Names Again", 'Below Deck's Captain Sandy Hasn't Spoken to Captain Lee Since Public Feud: "I Tried To Call Him", What Time Does 'The Mandalorian' Come Out on Disney+? As he reaches Ellie, he takes a final deep breath, looks up and everything fades to white as Charlie dies. There are a wealth of reasons to be excited about the 2022 American drama movie, mainly because its been teased as Brendan Frasers triumphant comeback. The last visual shows the sun shining, the tide rising and falling, and a younger, slimmer version of the lead character, Charlie, staring out into the ocean as his daughter plays in the sand behind him. Charlie reveals he used the essay Ellie wrote when she was eight about Moby-Dick. Audiences are now able to watch The Whale, the drama that is being billed as Brendan Fraser's career-defining performance. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. What does Unforgotten series 5's final twist mean? It would go on to win numerous awards, including the Lucille Lortel Award for Best Play, a 2013 Drama Desk Special Award for Significant Contribution to Theaters, the 2013 GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding New York Theater and more. In the chokehold of loss, he began to binge eat and shut off, eventually having to enlist the help of a carer to look after him. The following contains spoilers from the movie The Whale, now playing in theaters. Liz is upset by Thomass presence and tells him to leave Charlie alone. Hunter, who also adapted the screenplay for film, based the story on his own experience with obesity in college. TOPCMB We earn a commission for products purchased through some links in this article. He tries one last time to convert Charlie, but Charlie dismisses him angrily when he insists Alan died because of his sexuality and turning his back on God. Ellie storms in, upset that the essay Charlie gave her to turn in got an F. The reason why it did was because it was not on the subject Ellie was assigned, but the Moby Dick essay Charlie had Thomas read to him. I think when I first saw The Whale as a play 10 years ago, there were always characters on the stage that I didnt know I was going to relate to and within five minutes I started to feel with them. After an incident where he refuses to go to the hospital as he is broke, his only friend and nurse, Liz announces that he will die soon, maybe even in the same week. The movie version of "The Whale" ends with a breath, a bright light and a beach. He asks her to read it to him one last time now that he is dying, but she refuses and goes to leave. Hes diagnosed with congestive heart failure and he decides to be his true self with no regrets, saying and doing things with no shame or hesitation. By Gabriella Geisinger 27 Feb 2023 The Whale has received heaps of critical acclaim, but is not. Although he hasnt reached out to his daughter in many years, he finally decides to try and reconnect with her in her teenage years, although she doesnt wish to have any relationship with her father. Thomas walks in on Charlie while he is hyperventilating and at risk of having a heart attack. This is the only way he feels will absolve him of his past mistakes. Throughout The Whale, Charlie is visited by his estranged and troubled daughter, Ellie (Sadie Sink) and his frustrated ex-wife, Mary (Samantha Morton), both of whom Charlie abandoned when he ended his marriage and came out as gay; Liz (Hong Chau), a conflicted caregiver who is also the sibling of Charlies late lover; and Thomas (Ty Simpkins), a fundamentalist missionary who is far from home. We learn that Lizs brother, Alan, was Charlies romantic partner, as well as a member of the New Life church. The following contains spoilers from the movie The Whale, now playing in theaters. Want more movie news? It cuts to the flashback at the beach with Ellie which was peaceful memory for Charlie hinting that it is the last memory he saw before he died. 'Mandalorian' Funko Pops up to 77% Off Baby Yoda and More for Season 3, Who Plays the Armorer in 'The Mandalorian'? The film's conclusion, however, might be more difficult for some viewers to read, so we asked Fraser and screenwriter Samuel D. Hunter to break down what the final scene means for Charlie's journey. football) NAME Thomas confesses that while he used to be a missionaryafter his parents sent him away to the church when they discovered him smoking pothe grew frustrated with the churchs lack of social outreach and felt he wasnt truly helping people. Liz angrily tells him that they could have gotten him anything he needed for his health. BA1 1UA. After Charlie calms down, Thomas asks why Charlie asked him to read it. "You notice that she stands behind him. Charlie doesnt think much of it but then he sees Ellies post about him being fat that Mary had left open on his laptop. Despite how cruel Ellie is to Charlie, he insists she is an amazing person. For example, the 2014 Bay Area run raised the Marin Theater Company stage by four feet and angled Charlies ceiling so that, from the audiences perspective, the character appeared to dominate the space in a way that intimidated the people who visited him, said Director Jason Minadakis. Liz informs Charlie that his blood pressure is at a dangerous level, and that he needs to go to the hospital, or he will very likely die of congestive heart failure by the end of the week. "I have this Forrest Gump-ian way of touching something and it becomes a hit!" (Get it? The melodrama is a heartwrenching tale of Charlie, an English teacher who has let himself go and gotten morbidly obese after the passing of his partner. TMT So in that final moment, whatever flaws he had, whatever mistakes he made and in whatever ways he couldnt love himself enough, he lived a life redeemed, because he gave everything to save his daughter.. Darren AronofskyX WHALE has already proven to be one of the most controversial films of the year, which isn't all that surprising given Aronofsky's history in making controversial projects.Bye Brendan Fraser received widespread acclaim for its powerful performance of the overweight Professor Charlie, the film was seen as "fat . Because the movie is so bleak, I choose to interpret it as Ellie feeling grateful for both her mother and her father, who love her. Corsage Is an Intimate, Imaginative Portrait of an Empress, 12 Hospital Positions That Require Little Experience, Inside Tips From Past WGU Test-Takers: Passing Your Exam Made Easy, What You Need to Know About the University of Phoenix Settlement, Comparing California Institute of Technology and MIT, 10 Fun and Exciting Things to Do Near Illinois Institute of Technology. Thomas, however, returns and finds Ellie instead and they begin a tense but curious friendship. Ellie then ends up tracking down Thomas parents and sends them the audio recording. Maybe hes clinging to that essay because the final line, written by Ellie, confirms that he did. Brendan Fraser stars in the film adaptation of The Whale.. All Rights Reserved. 1,712, This story has been shared 1,685 times. However, hes almost out of money and he cant go back because he will be disowned. Future Publishing Limited Quay House, The Ambury, business and industrial sectors A24. As he nears her, a white light begins to engulf them and Charlie is lifted into the air until the light takes over completely; the final shot is the a younger Charlie on the beach with Ellie as a little girl, a memory. The Whale trailer cr. Meanwhile, a young man named Thomas shows up to preach to Charlie about the New Life church; Charlie entertains him and the two strike up a strange bond. Tremendous effort to do so their honesty, he takes a final deep breath, looks up and fades... 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