Sean donovan7/25/2023 ![]() To me, the best thing that could come out of all the publicity surrounding “The Whale” is the centering of the opinions of fat people on the film. For viewers who “do take that invitation and go inside,” he said “I think you’ll find that this is the diametric opposite of the way obesity has traditionally been portrayed and dealt with in cinema.” Hunter, who also wrote the film, told Entertainment Weekly, “I understand why people have some of those reactions because, look, the history of portraying people suffering with obesity in cinema is not good,” but argued that the film is an “invitation” to “be with” Charlie. Watch: Brendan Fraser moved to tears by standing ovation at Venice Film Festival Earlier this year, Sarah Paulson and Emma Thompson came under fire for wearing prosthetic body suits, t he former as Linda Tripp in “Impeachment: American Crime Story,” and the latter as Miss Trunchbull in Netflix’s “Matilda.” In a more novel development, though, early news of “The Whale” this year coincided with an uptick in discourse around both fat acceptance and open criticism of Hollywood’s history of generally horrific portrayals of fatness, most prominently in its use of the fat suit. It’s not like there’s any dearth of commentary about how bad being fat is, from official government warnings to comedians like Ricky Gervais who’ve made it one of their pet subjects. So maybe it’s a good occasion to devote some effort to listening to, reading and amplifying voices from the fat community regarding their thoughts on “The Whale.” ![]() Aronofsky considered fatness to be the ultimate human failure,” asserted Roxane Gay in the New York Times, “something despicable, to be avoided at all costs.” “In case viewers still don’t get that they’re supposed to find him disgusting, he recites an essay about ‘Moby-Dick’ and how a whale is ‘a poor big animal’ with no feelings.”īrendan Fraser plays an obese man trying to reconnect with his estranged daughter in 'The Whale." A24īrendan Fraser's standout performance can't keep 'The Whale' afloatįrom the beginning, the film apparently humiliates Charlie abjectly: He’s shown nearly dying from a heart attack while masturbating to porn. He plays ominous music under these sequences, so we know Charlie’s doing something very bad indeed,” wrote Katie Rife in Polygon. “Aronofsky turns up the foley audio whenever Charlie is eating, to emphasize the wet sound of lips smacking together. The fat suit isn’t the same as a lived experienceīy many accounts, the film plays Charlie’s weight as an absolute tragedy and a visual horror show. ![]() But after spending some time reading and listening to how harmful fat people say the portrayal is to them, I’m taking another look. Given the acclaim the film’s received and my desire to see Fraser thrive after what he’s been through, I had originally planned to see it when I could. I have not yet seen “The Whale,” as I’m not located in one of the two cities it’s been playing in prior to its expanded release this week. ![]() While critics and the public seem nearly unanimous in their desire for nice guy Fraser to get all the awards for his dedicated performance, a mounting chorus has described the film’s tone and content as fatphobic. ![]() The film has been a flashpoint for controversy since it debuted at the Venice Film Festival this summer. Hunter, and one of its most-discussed features has been the fat suit Fraser wears. It’s adapted from a play of the same name by Samuel D. The film, which has garnered significant praise even as it’s prompted notable controversy, stars Brendan Fraser as Charlie, a 600-pound gay man slowly eating himself to death. ![]()
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