By Miguel Ernesto Yusty

Darren Aronofsky is a New York-born film director whose filmography includes titles such as REQUIEN FOR A DREAM (2000), THE WRESTLER (2008), and BLACK SWAN (2010). The impact these films have on viewers makes it no surprise that THE WHALE (2022) could resonate deeply with audiences. As in the aforementioned examples, in THE WHALE, the script's characters allow the actors to deliver outstanding performances. Thus, Brendan Fraser, a star of mainstream entertainment, achieves his most powerful and dramatic performance to date.

Like THE WRESTLER, the other example mentioned earlier, THE WHALE shares a protagonist who begins defeated and relentlessly seeks to atone for his sins. Fraser, as the lead actor, creates a character who seeks martyrdom for such noble motivations that the viewer cannot help but empathize with his cause. With this performance, Fraser joins the pantheon of actors like Robert De Niro or Christian Bale, who drastically transform their physical appearance to meet the demands of their roles. In this case, Fraser gained 286 pounds to lend credibility to his performance, and behind the additional makeup and prosthetics, he reveals a powerful acting ability that moves audiences in the theater.

Aronofsky imbues his films with a sense of sacredness that, combined with the profound humanity of his characters, transforms his works into powerful temples of cinema. The film is spectacular for the way the director tells the story in a single setting, for Brendan Fraser's performance, and also for the way it profoundly affects the audience. It's difficult for THE WHALE not to capture the viewer's attention, demonstrating that beyond being a good film, few pleasures can compare. So, if you go to the cinema and see it, don't hold back and applaud at the end; never before in the history of cinema have a pair of feet received such celestial light.