Film review: The Whale (2022)
SPOILERS AHEAD After watching 'The Whale' less than twenty-four hours after Brendan Fraser's Oscar win for Best Actor, the opportunity to view the film with fresh eyes had mostly passed. Having read discussions and outrage highlighting a perceived lack of humanity and dignity towards individuals and communities who are overweight (some have reclaimed and prefer 'fat', 'plus-sized' etc), in tandem with its critical acclaim (garnering a six-minute standing ovation at last year's London Film Festival), I was interested to see where I might place my critical stake. There is much to consider, but I would stand by my conviction that the film's director, Darren Aronofsky, will not be winning accolades from the fat liberation movement anytime soon. As incredible a performance as Fraser gives, it is rather sticky to have a heterosexual, comparatively slender actor essentially play dress-up as an obese man. Lest we forget, the character is overweight, drastica
