The Whale (2022)

I doubt I can add much more to what has already been said about 'The Whale', but in a word: Bravo!
Brendan Fraser truly is sensational in this role. I heard about all the acclaim and seen a few of the standing ovations he has received and all I can say is that it is unequivocally deserved. Truly outstanding from the first scene (yes, even with that... ha) to the very last. It's great to see the dude that I first saw as a kid in 'George of the Jungle' well and truly back in the game.
One thing about Fraser getting all the (undoubtedly merited) plaudits from this Darren Aronofsky flick is that I didn't know what to expect from the support cast, and man are there some absolutely stellar performances behind Fraser. Sadie Sink, Ty Simpkins and Samantha Morton are top notch, though Hong Chau is a cut above that trio - brilliant stuff from her!
There are some powerful scenes in there. I'm not one to cry with fictional works (my brain automatically knows it's 'fake', I can't help it) but man even I got major goosebumps and gut punches (pardon the pun?) from what's portrayed onscreen. Fraser, and Chau, are naturally the major reasons for that, but everyone - on and off the screen - deserves big props for this 2022 film.
The definition of a must-watch.

At least partly because this movie was based on a play, most of the action takes place in one room. Of course, the nature of the character’s health issues makes it hard for him to move around, but I think the limited setting worked against the film. Maybe it is just my eyes getting older, but the cinematography of The Whale seems to follow the current trend of being dark, dark, dark. Are they desperate to show the mood through lighting, were they trying to simulate the inside of a whale’s stomach, or is it less expensive to film in the gloomy interiors, or what? Would it kill them to turn on a light now and again?
Anyway, the movie tugs at the appropriate heartstrings and throws a curve here and there, and is an excellent work of drama noir.