Controversy has swirled around “The Whale” for months leading up to its theatrical release, with some criticizing the film for casting Brendan Fraser and not an obese actor in the role of a 600-pound recluse and others saying it perpetuates stereotypes of overweight people.
With all great respect to those who have voiced those concerns, I couldn’t disagree more. I found Darren Aronofsky’s adaptation of the stage work by Samuel D. Hunter (who wrote the screenplay) to be an empathetic, haunting, beautiful, heartbreakingly moving story of a broken man in the throes of addiction who has a huge heart and believes people can be really and truly good — but has landed in a place in his own life where he lacks the energy and the will to remain in this world.
