Darren Aronofsky is no stranger to dividing viewers when it comes to his past and most recent films, Film release in 2022 The whale follow his example. The drama stars Brendan Fraser as a 600-pound schoolteacher grappling with his health, trying to reconnect with his estranged teenage daughter, played by Sadie Sink. It’s been like this ever since the movie came out immersed in praise Yes criticized for its description of obesity. After shared reactions, The whaleThe writer shared his thoughts.
The whale is an adaptation of a 2012 play of the same name by Samuel D. Hunter, who also wrote the screenplay for the film A24. In an interview with People Hunter said the story is somewhat influenced by some of his experiences self-medicating with food and struggling with a depressed young man who struggled to “reconcile” his Christian faith and queer sexuality. When it comes to The whaleHunter’s reaction said where he thinks it’s coming from with these words:
First, I think the story of obesity, as far as movies go, is pretty awful. These types of prostheses have been used very inaccurately and to ridicule or make fun of people. Instead what we do is just try to delve into the deep and complex humanity of this beautiful and complicated human being.
As Hunter also noted, he’s “read hundreds of reviews” of the original work by The whale and “never really met the kind of backlash” the film is getting now. She attributed it to Hollywood’s negative history with the portrayal of obesity in movies. Many times actors in movies have donned big suits to play along to comedic beats, so Fraser’s casting is the latest to receive backlash. Hunter also said this:
And I also think with this stuff… With comedies, people usually don’t read a synopsis of a sentence and then judge it based on that. But I think people do it more often with movies. So yeah, I mean, I understand people will react, but I just have to have faith in the story I’m telling, which I think is based on empathy and love.
And there are certainly far more eyes on Samuel D. Hunter’s story now that it’s a film than I ever would have seen with his work. The reaction included bad Girls actor and member of the LGBTQ+ community, Daniel Franzese, who said was “in conflict” with The whale choosing Fraser over “other fat queer dudes.” Other examples include Roxane Gay’s thoughts that she felt the film reinforced anti-fat stereotypes in a New York Times opinion piece with many others on Chirping calling him a “fatphobe”.
Brendan Fraser used prosthetics and a leotard to portray The whaleis the protagonist and has defended the use of this , also explaining that the production felt “obligated” to make sure they were “accurate” and not used as a “one-note joke”. Also, director Darren Aronofsky talks about the casting process saying she was looking for obese actors, but had become a “mad hunt” to find someone who was heavy enough and decided to find the right actor for the emotion of the role rather than stature.
What The whale keeps rolling in theaters is dividing viewers as it is such a big part of the awards season conversation, you can check out 24 News Bulletin interviews with Brendan Fraser, Sadie Sink and more .
Source: Cinemablend
