Film Deep Dive | The Whale

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In this week's episode, we break down the film The Whale. The film is directed by Darren Aronofsky, written by Samuel D. Hunter, and stars Brendan Fraser. The film is an emotional rollercoaster and leaves all of us feeling something. At the movie's core, we tried to determine whether this was a tragedy or a comedy. The end result will vary for everyone but somewhere in the middle, leaving you conflicted. We spent a good time working on what the core theme of the film was, and we came to the conclusion it was gravitating toward honesty. The film calls for the characters to be honest with themselves and those closest to them. If you can do that from the heart, your life starts to fit together. As a call to action, I know that all of us have something left unsaid to someone important to us, so at the very least, saying something from the heart to someone who matters to you can be a gateway towards something better. Without further preamble, please enjoy this deep dive into The Whale!

Brendan Fraser’s emotional acceptance speech


Show Notes:

(00:00) Intro

(04:03) Initial Impressions of the Film

(06:08) Is The Whale Film for Everyone

(08:30) Darren Aronofsky

(08:59) Roller Coaster of Emotion

(10:53) Disappoints to Excitement

(16:40) Layers of Story

(19:05) Getting Lost in Emotions

(20:43) Playing with the Audience

(23:43) Getting to Honesty

(25:48) Be Real

(29:00) The Pizza Delivery Guy

(31:15) Could Charlie Have Been Saved?

(32:16) Choosing Not to See the Consequences

(35:11) The Daughter's Essay

(37:10) Empathy and Anger

(39:04) The Daughter

(43:11) She represents Truth

(46:54) Climax and finally being honest

(49:12) The Whale

(50:33) Originally a Play

(57:34) What Could Have Been

(59:42) A Comedy or a Tragedy?

(01:02:59) Closing

(01:08:57) Outro