The Whale  ★★★★

HOW to tackle The Whale?

Do I focus, as most have done, on lead actor Brendan Fraser’s astonishing performance?

Or do I compare Darren Oronofsky’s first directing effort in five years to others in his eclectic and powerful filmography?

Or mount a defence of the film against claims it is too theatrical and has a central performance and little else?

I will defend the film but start by stating it’s one of those rare cinema experiences that leaves you a little stunned at the end.

At my screenings there were several people in tears and trying to compose themselves before leaving the dark.

They need not bother; nobody else in the cinema would mind. This is a shared but also highly personal emotional experience.

Fraser’s character Charlie is a morbidly obese man with little time to live if he doesn’t seek hospital care.

He has a carer whose relationship with him is almost as complex as Charlie himself.

Charlie is riddled with guilt at leaving his marriage and he and his teenage daughter are struggling to come to terms with their relationship.

Into this mix comes another young man who sees his role as a saviour of souls, in particular Charlie’s.

Yes, this is a film about how a man came to be in Charlie’s predicament; but it’s also so much more.

Charlie represents all of us; anyone who has made difficult decisions that have resulted in joy and sorrow for them and those around them.

Whether it’s food, alcohol, drugs, sex, pride, love or other emotional triggers, most of us will see something in Charlie’s pain and struggle to atone, love and be loved.

It’s a beautiful film with great performances all round, headed by Fraser whose own personal journey must have made the role challenging and cathartic. I would also single out Hong Chau who is terrific as Charlie’s carer Liz.

The Whale is one of Oronofsky’s best, right up there with The Wrestler and Requiem For A Dream and I can’t wait for Fraser’s Oscar acceptance speech.

Watched in a cinema.