See Brendan Fraser in Gut-Wrenching, Emotional New Trailer for The Whale
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Brendan Fraser dives deep in the newest trailer for The Whale.
Written by Samuel D. Hunter and based on his 2012 play of the same name, The Whale is directed by Darren Aronofsky (Black Swan) and stars Fraser as Charlie, a 600-lb. reclusive writing instructor who tries to repair his relationship with his estranged teenage daughter, Ellie (Stranger Things star Sadie Sink).
Released by A24 on Wednesday, the new nearly 2-minute preview gives viewers a closer look into the strained relationship between Charlie and Ellie, and his attempt to reconnect with her after years apart, as his health begins to fail.
"I need to know that I have done one thing right with my life!" Charlie yells through tears near the end of the trailer, as he appears to be connected to supplemental oxygen support.
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A24/YouTube Brendan Fraser in The Whale (2022)
On Sunday, Entertainment Weekly reported that The Whale had the best limited opening of any movie in 2022 after it debuted in Los Angeles and New York City over the weekend.
It sold out screenings at all six movie theaters it played in over the weekend and grossed $360,000 total, according to the outlet.
The Whale averaged $60,000 in ticket sales for each screen it played on in that time period, which makes for Aronofsky's best box-office opening since his 2010 film Black Swan, for which star Natalie Portman won an Academy Award for Best Actress, according to EW, which cited production company A24 and Comscore.
Fraser received additional critical acclaim for his performance in the new movie Monday as he was nominated for best actor in a drama at the upcoming 2023 Golden Globes, after having taken home an actor award at the Toronto International Film Festival's TIFF Tribute Awards in September.
A24/YouTube Sadie Sink in The Whale (2022)
While Fraser appears to be an early favorite this awards season, some have expressed concern over his casting as an obese man and whether the film's title is intended as an insult.
However, Hunter told Variety in a recent interview that The Whale is intended to refer to Charlie's obsession with "a particular paper on Moby Dick," explaining that it "deliberately pokes at some people's prejudices."
"I wasn't surprised by the blowback, because of the history of the way that obesity is treated on film. And we live in cynical and reactionary times," added Hunter, who also wrote the film's script.
He also told EW in October that he understands some of the reaction to The Whale, as "the history of portraying people suffering with obesity in cinema is not good — they are fundamentally objects of derision or jokes, or they're completely one-dimensional."
Hunter said he wants the film to be "an invitation" for viewers "to walk in this door and be with this guy," explaining, "If you do take that invitation and go inside, I think you'll find that this is the diametric opposite of the way obesity has traditionally been portrayed and dealt with in cinema."
The Whale, playing in select theaters now, opens nationwide Dec. 21.
