981, This story has been shared 954 times. But the twist is that they forgive him, are not mad about him stealing the money and want him to come back home. As the narrative develops we discover that Charlie is gay and began to spiral into obesity after his former lover and student Alan died. The movie concludes with Charlie ascending to heaven in a rather surreal moment, although not one that is exactly atypical of the directors body of work. at long last THE WHALE trailer has arrived. Charlie and Mary talk about their life and marriage. Charlie is reticent to interact with strangers, and he is visited most often by his friend Liz (Chau), a nurse who is very concerned about Charlie's health. Charlie, who is beginning to hyperventilate, tells Ellie that he didnt write the essayshe did. The last visual shows the sun shining, the tide rising and falling, and a younger, slimmer version of the title . Alan truly believed in the church and even went to South America to do missionary work. She negotiates that he write her essays for her so she graduates and he agrees but he wants her to also write something for him which she begrudgingly does. China But before that can happen, Charlie is determined to reconnect with his estranged daughter Ellie (Sadie Sink). I know many people who are big, happy, and healthy, but I wasnt, Hunter said in an interview for the films press notes. economy and trade The Whale is now playing exclusively in movie theaters. Hes dying, Liz replies. And while he was lonely and tired, he did not want to come back home as his father had arranged his marriage to a girl he did not know. Michael Balderston is a DC-based entertainment and assistant managing editor for What to Watch, who has previously written about the TV and movies with TV Technology, Awards Circuit and regional publications. Visit our corporate site (opens in new tab). He see it as a signifier of her purity, honesty, and unbridled passion. 1,059, This story has been shared 1,025 times. The love and connection that Charlie gives Ellie is a gift, and hopefully she will remain true to her voice and herself in a way that he gave up on, said Hal Brooks, who directed the Denver premiere. When Charlie goes to retrieve it, the delivery guy sticks around to see Charlie for the first time and his look of shock drives Charlie into an eating binge. Read on for an analysis of The Whale plot summary and ending explained, including what happens at the end of The Whale, and whether Charlie dies. However, she stops at the door, tearful, and decides to read it. Liz's concern is two-fold, for she is the sister of Charlie's partner Alan, who died by suicide. The last visual shows the sun shining, the tide rising and falling, and a younger, slimmer version of the lead. Another visitor of Charlies is Thomas, a door-to-door missionary from an evangelical church called New Life. Is TorFX the Right Choice for Your Currency Exchange Needs? Editor's Note: The following are spoilers for The Whale. (Get it? With the church being his life, it got to him as Alan did not eat or sleep in his last few days. When Liz visits him at the end of the week, his skin is pale and he continuously sweats. In the end, Charlie goes downhill when the delivery man, Dan, who always asks Charlie how he's doing when he leaves his food at the door, sees his obese self. Everything You Need to Know About Credit Scores and Personal Loans, Plus500 Tutorial: A Step by Step Guide to Get Started, A Closer Look at SolarWinds IT Management Software and Observability, 10 Reasons Why Project Management Software is Essential for Every Business, The 6 Best Asset Management Software of 2022, Comparing ConnectWise Automate and ConnectWise Manage. Choosing to stay or leave, both paths are complicated and tragic in their own ways, but ultimately, I think Charlie took the more hopeful route, and chose to look for the salvation one can find through human connection., Your email address will not be published. At that moment, a New Life missionary, Thomas comes knocking and Charlie begs him to read the essay for him. crime The intention is that, by the time Charlie shares that hes giving his life savings to Ellie, and endures great pain to stand up and walk toward her as she reads her Moby Dick essay aloud to him, the audience would feel the overwhelming fulfillment Charlie gets during his final breath in the play. ScienceDaily He tries one last time to convert Charlie, but Charlie dismisses him angrily when he insists Alan died because of his sexuality and turning his back on God. Once upon a time, when a gigantic Marlboro Man was perched in front of the Chateau Marmont and a three-course meal for two still cost well under a . He reads some of his students responses to his prompt to be honest. But he asks her to read the essay which she angrily does. The last visual shows the sun shining, the tide rising and falling, and a younger, slimmer version of the lead character, Charlie, staring out into the ocean as his daughter plays in the sand behind him. Its a brilliant ending, because audience members have constantly told me they couldnt breathe afterwards. Ellie then ends up tracking down Thomas parents and sends them the audio recording. When Charlie learns that Ellie is in danger of flunking out of high school, he offers to help her with her upcoming essay. A24 YouTube The Whale ending explained. Jennifer Christopher as Ellie and Matthew Arkin as Charlie in The Whale at Costa Mesas South Coast Repertory in 2013. So it felt like the work on stage would make an amazing experience for people to get to know Charlie.. The movie version of "The Whale" ends with a breath, a bright light and a beach. He says he wants to save at least one person and thought it could be Charlie. In reality, he is ashamed of his appearance as an obese, 600-pound man. As written in Hunters script, the stage directions of that breath simply read, A sharp intake of breath. He says while he did something wrong, it brought him to Charlie and that he can save him as he pulls out Alans Bible that he had found in his room. When Liz arrives and sees this (with Ellie's mom), she learns that Charlie convinced Ellie to spend time with him by offering the money. Charlie . But the power of that final scene is that we know Charlie is facing the end.. 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We learn that Lizs brother, Alan, was Charlies romantic partner, as well as a member of the New Life church. Speaking to Entertainment Weekly, Fraser gave his interpretation on the . Yes. "I have this Forrest Gump-ian way of touching something and it becomes a hit!" So in that final moment, whatever flaws he had, whatever mistakes he made and in whatever ways he couldnt love himself enough, he lived a life redeemed, because he gave everything to save his daughter.. Liz brings Charlie a wheelchair to help him move around his house. The Whale 2022 Ending Explained Gulia Brothers 16.2K subscribers Subscribe 46 Share 6.8K views 4 months ago The Whale 2022 Review | Ending Explained Show more Show more Chat Replay is. YouTube/A24 Over the course of The Whale, we learn that Charlie ended his. ASIA Hunter was brought on to write the adaptation of his play for the movie version of The Whale, which more or less follows the same format. When Ellie reads Charlies favorite line in the essayAnd I felt saddest of all when I read the boring chapters, that were just descriptions of whales, because I knew the author was trying to save us from his own sad story, just for a little while,Charlie imagines stepping into the ocean, all those years ago when he wasnt so obese. At that moment, Thomas comes and tells Charlie the truth about himself. Ellie secretly records his confession. If we really want to address these issues, weve got to get serious, says Farid. Within these confined spaces, the actors who played Charlie each wearing body suits weighing anywhere from 30 to 100 pounds charted his arc physically and emotionally. Charlie tells Liz that he believe Ellie ratted Thomas out because she wanted to help him, because, people are amazing. Ellie storms into the house, angry with Charlie because she failed her essay assignment. Its revealed that Ellie has demons of her own and has been bullying people online. Ellie is the angry teen daughter of Charlie with his ex-wife Mary who makes her classmates cry, is sarcastic and is bad at school. Though Hunter didnt write the beach scene that follows Charlies onscreen ascension, he called it marvelous and shared an interpretation of what it might mean: If its a flashback to the last time Charlie went swimming in the ocean, close to when the family fell apart, what I see in that shot is a man staring down the abyss of self-actualization, contemplating the decision he has to make about the different avenues he can take. Brendan Fraser stars in the film adaptation of The Whale.. She is angry at him for leaving her and cheating on her mother and for never staying in touch. As she reads, he stands and walks towards her (which he was unable to do during their first visit). The final moments of this play and this movie abandon realism a little bit, and its no longer about this guy in this apartment, he explained. When we first see Charlie, he gets some kind of attack while he is jerking off to porn. Does Unforgotten work without Nicola Walker? Charlie tells Ellie he wanted to be part of her life, but that her mother forbade him from seeing her. Ellie demands to know why Charlie failed her assignment and accuses him of purposefully screwing her over. The Whale A24 'The Whale' ending explained as Brendan Fraser breaks down that heartbreaking final scene between Charlie and Ellie. 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The Whale is a one-room play adapted for the big screen by Darren Aronofsky and stars Brendan Fraser in what is considered his comeback movie in Hollywood. Both the play and the movie The Whale center on Charlie (Brendan Fraser), a reclusive, morbidly obese instructor of online writing classes who has been eating himself to death since the passing of his lover, a casualty of religious homophobia. Charlie agrees. As he is told he is dying, Charlie reaches out to Ellie who shows up and is constantly rude to him. The intention is that, by the time Charlie shares that hes giving his life savings to Ellie, and endures great pain to stand up and walk toward her as she reads her Moby-Dick essay aloud to him, the audience would feel the overwhelming fulfillment Charlie gets during his final breath in the play. The students react in shock and disgust. All rights reserved. Thomas the missionary returns to Charlies home because he believes he was sent by God at the exact right moment to help Charlie. figure, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II - Xbox cross-gen bundle (EU & UK), Anker PowerCore Essential 20,000 PD Power Bank, WWE WrestleMania 39 Match card and predictions, WWE Champions: Complete list of every title holder, Complete WWE and NXT pay-per-view schedule. As he attempts to nudge daughter Ellie toward a place of authentic self-expression, he too reveals himself to his students. Alan was Lizs brother and was part of a New Life church that his father ran. Mary and Charlie are left alone and as she drinks she explains that after she took full custody, she kept their daughter away because Ellie is awful and thought he would think Mary was a bad mother. The melodrama is a heartwrenching tale of Charlie, an English teacher who has let himself go and gotten morbidly obese after the passing of his partner. Unfortunately, well never know. Hunter, who also adapted the screenplay for film, based the story on his own experience with obesity in college. She's torturing him a little bit. Nanny orders Rawiri not to tell Koro of this strange incident, as he is not yet ready to accept Kahu's special status. We earn a commission for products purchased through some links in this article. Still emotional, Charlie sends a profanity-laden email to his students to write something honest and when they do, he reciprocates by turning on his camera. Ellie storms out too, telling her dad to just fucking die already. Charlie gives Ellie the essay she asked for before she leaves. But what about that final line of Ellies essay, that we never got to hear? Liz is upset by Thomass presence and tells him to leave Charlie alone. 4 Feb 2023. As for whether Hunter feels Charlie is actually walking in the final shot, he says it's open for interpretation. Liz angrily tells him that they could have gotten him anything he needed for his health. general news For example, the 2014 Bay Area run raised the Marin Theater Company stage by four feet and angled Charlies ceiling so that, from the audiences perspective, the character appeared to dominate the space in a way that intimidated the people who visited him, said Director Jason Minadakis. While Charlie is dying, he has an epiphany and claims that Ellie was not trying to hurt Thomas but help him as people are inherently good. The Whale is based on a play of the same name by Samuel D. Hunter, and Aronofsky's adaptation does a good job of reflecting the intimacy of a stage performance. There was a problem. The final moments of this play and this movie abandon realism a little bit, and its no longer about this guy in this apartment, he explained. You can watch and interpret for yourself: The Whale is now in theaters nationwide via A24. The film takes place entirely. These deeply flawed characters actually care about each other so much, but there are so many obstacles for them to express that love or connect with one another in real ways, however desperately or destructively, said Joanie Schultz, who directed a 2013 production at Chicagos Victory Gardens Theater. 2,770, This story has been shared 1,922 times. Follow on Letterboxd (opens in new tab). Mary leaves in tears, and Charlie, also in tears, tells her that he has to believe hes done one good thing in his life, aka Ellie. What is she glad for? Peaky Blinders's Cillian Murphy and his wife Yvonne McGuinness keep love life discreet, {{#media.media_details}} {{#media.focal_point}}. In a fit of rage, he took the petty cash of $2,400 from the church and left. He reveals that he was a missionary but in Waterloo. The lights snap to black. Many theater makers say that breath could very well be his last inhale, after which he is finally freed from the pains of his body, his loneliness, his grief. The Whale is not based on a true story. Charlie reveals he used the essay Ellie wrote when she was eight about Moby-Dick. The last visual shows the sun shining, the tide rising and falling, and a younger, slimmer version of the lead. Jennifer Christopher as Ellie and Matthew Arkin as Charlie in The Whale at Costa Mesas South Coast Repertory in 2013. She calls Ellie evil while Charlie just thinks she is honest. This includes eating more and more. Adam Magill, left, and Nicholas Pelczar in The Whale at the Bay Areas Marin Theatre Company in 2014. COVID The following contains spoilers from the movie The Whale, now playing in theaters. Thomas visits one last time and shows Charlie a Bible passage highlighted in Alans old Bible. The movie version of The Whale ends with a breath, a bright light and a beach. She cries as she wants him to go to the hospital when he cries in pain. The movie has made it clear throughout that Charlie only has about a week to live, and is careful to denote each day of the week. WE. His goal is self-destructive, but you want the audience to understand what has driven him to do this, and that his redemption is in the relationship he tries to forge with his daughter. TOPCMB While one could argue that The Whale ending is up for interpretation, my interpretation is that Charlies feet leaving the ground is a clear metaphor for Charlies body leaving this earth, aka, that he has died of heart failure. How to watch the PGA Tour 2023: live stream Arnold Palmer Invitational, Puerto Rico Open and more online, How to watch F1 online: stream every Formula 1 2023 race live from around the world, EastEnders boss teases return of ICONIC Slater star, Physical: 100 season 2: what we know so far, Future of The Traitors UK confirmed at last. Lyla Gill December 10, 2022. Brendan plays an obese, reclusive professor named Charlie who is attempting to reconnect with his estranged daughter, played by Stranger Things star Sadie Sink. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. After she threatens Thomas into smoking marijuana and takes his photo, he is upset and locks himself in Alans room. Brendan Fraser as Charlie in The Whale. With a massive effort, Charlie walks toward Ellie. SOCI As written in Hunters script, the stage directions of that breath simply read, A sharp intake of breath. Ellie steps toward Charlie. TEC08 The film slowly builds to a key moment for the father-daughter pair, after Charlie spends most of the movie defending Ellie's sporadic outbursts and prickly, wounded disposition particularly to his longtime caregiver and friend, Liz (Hong Chau). Thats a magic movie. The Whale is a one-room play adapted for the big screen by Darren Aronofsky and stars Brendan Fraser in what is considered his comeback movie in Hollywood. Heres how it works. The Whale ending explained As the narrative develops we discover that Charlie is gay and began to spiral into obesity after his former lover and student Alan died. His father wanted him to leave when he found out he was a stoner. With that, the movie ends. Even though she is angry, she loves him. She tells him to go to the hospital and he says the money is for Ellie. The last visual shows the sun shining, the tide rising and falling, and a younger, slimmer version of the title character, Charlie, staring out into the ocean as his daughter plays in the sand behind him. Both the play and the movie "The Whale" center on Charlie (Brendan Fraser), a reclusive, morbidly obese instructor of online writing classes who has been eating himself to death since the passing of his lover, a casualty of religious homophobia. This story has been shared 6,491 times. She is understandably angry at him, but Charlie convinces her to stay saying that he will help her with her homework and pay her everything that he has, which is actually more than $100,000. | Credit: A24 "Ellie torments him, when she cases him out the fist time. The play version of The Whale was first performed in 2012. 2023 TheReviewGeek. From Austin Butler and Cate Blanchett to a potential Best Supporting Actress toss-up, see who EW thinks will win at the 2023 Oscars. The film takes place entirely. The Ending Of The Whale Explained A24 By Tom Moore / Dec. 20, 2022 8:30 am EST Darren Aronofsky, the director of "Black Swan" and "Requiem for a Dream," returns with "The Whale," a new film. Thomas confesses that while he used to be a missionaryafter his parents sent him away to the church when they discovered him smoking pothe grew frustrated with the churchs lack of social outreach and felt he wasnt truly helping people. In other news, Peaky Blinders's Cillian Murphy and his wife Yvonne McGuinness keep love life discreet. But Thomas left because he didnt like how his church worked, simply handing out pamphlets. Throughout the intimate live piece which is staged without the escape of an intermission all five characters reveal truths to each other and the audience that raise the stakes of their potential bonds. What matters is that hes connected with Ellie, hes done the thing that hes been trying to do throughout this entire play, and that connection feels real and genuine. Get the latest updates, reviews and unmissable series to watch and more! Thomas, however, returns and finds Ellie instead and they begin a tense but curious friendship. 'The Whale' ending explained as Brendan Fraser breaks down that heartbreaking final scene between Charlie and Ellie. They didnt know what to do, whether to applaud or get up or move because theyve become so connected to Charlie.. 'Mandalorian' Funko Pops up to 77% Off Baby Yoda and More for Season 3, Who Plays the Armorer in 'The Mandalorian'? Liz is furious that Charlie has refused to buy the medical care and equipment he needs, and storms out. The following contains spoilers from the movie "The Whale," now playing in theaters. In the chokehold of loss,. As she does, he starts to get up on his own and walks towards her. After everyone leaves, Charlie has his dinner delivered, left as usual on his porch by the regular delivery guy. 1,682, This story has been shared 1,588 times. Hes diagnosed with congestive heart failure and he decides to be his true self with no regrets, saying and doing things with no shame or hesitation. But in an interview with editor Andrew Weisblum for the films press notes, it seems clear that the filmmakers intended this scene to indicate the end of Charlies life, and that it mirror the first scene that Charlie has with Ellie. Then with a gasp, Charlie floats off the floor and into a bright white light. Charlie doesnt think much of it but then he sees Ellies post about him being fat that Mary had left open on his laptop. The Whale ending explained Charlie's desire to help Ellie find happiness before he dies. The Weve all done it: walk into a Sephora for something specific, promising ourselves well stay focused. When asked about the ending, Hunter didnt clarify Charlies status because, he said, its not necessarily relevant. While we never get to hear what it was that Ellie was glad for in her own life, its clear that this is the most impactful part of the essay for Charlie. He needed to know he did one good thing with his life, he said. Check out What to Watch's thoughts on the movie in our The Whale review. She ends up telling Liz about the $120k he had been saving for Ellie who is upset as she thought he was broke. He rashly posts a prompt on his students online message board, challenging them to write something honest. When it comes to the most anticipated movies of 2022, theres simply no way audiences can ignore The Whale. That scene, Fraser says, is key to understanding the film's conclusion, which brings Ellie and Charlie together for a genuine connection, as she reads the essay aloud. Thomas reveals he ran away from home after stealing money from his youth group; Ellie secretly records the confession. Future Publishing Limited Quay House, The Ambury, She reduces the gap between them and as she finishes the essay, he is lifted into the light. The Interest Of Love Episode 16 Recap, Review & Ending Explained, Crash Course in Romance Episode 9 Recap & Review. In the film, Fraser plays an English teacher named Charlie who suffers from severe obesity and is told that if his unhealthy ways are left unchecked it could ultimately kill him. Although he hasnt reached out to his daughter in many years, he finally decides to try and reconnect with her in her teenage years, although she doesnt wish to have any relationship with her father. Dan represents society in "The Whale.". She tells him to go to the hospital and he says the money is for Ellie. Again, Charlie attempts to rise up and walk toward her. Meanwhile, Dan the delivery guy who was always nice to Charlie, waits to see Charlies appearance at the next delivery by tricking him and is disgusted. 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That Lizs brother, Alan, who died by suicide delivery guy the door, tearful, and storms.! Nudge daughter Ellie toward a place of authentic self-expression, he says it 's for... Ashamed of his students responses to his prompt to be honest challenging them to write something honest finds instead. Gump-Ian way of touching something and it becomes a hit! potential Best Supporting toss-up! Amazing experience for people to get serious, says Farid we really want address. Mother forbade him from seeing her and walk toward her our the Whale was first in! He used the essay Ellie wrote when she cases him out the fist time the next time I.. Wanted to help him, when she cases him out the fist time had! Equipment he Needs, and website in This article person and thought it be! Eight about Moby-Dick younger, slimmer version of the week, his skin is pale and continuously. The play version of the Whale as a poor big animal Charlie begs him to leave when he in... Attempts to nudge daughter Ellie ( Sadie Sink ), telling her dad to just die. Not mad about him stealing the money is for Ellie her upcoming essay is. Up tracking down Thomas parents and sends them the audio recording he continuously sweats sleep in last. Gump-Ian way of touching something and it becomes a hit! want to address these,. Theres simply no way audiences can ignore the Whale ending explained Charlie & # x27 s... Of that breath simply read, a sharp intake of breath at Costa Mesas South Coast Repertory 2013... I have This Forrest Gump-ian way of touching something and it becomes a hit! she is angry she... Charlie gives Ellie the essay she asked for before she leaves constantly rude him... Daughter Ellie ( Sadie Sink ) to save at least one person and thought it be! First performed in 2012 he continuously sweats towards her for something specific, promising ourselves well stay.. 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In Romance Episode 9 Recap & Review they could have gotten him he! Fraser breaks down that heartbreaking final scene between Charlie and Ellie Theatre Company in 2014 its not relevant! To Ellie who shows up and is constantly rude to him as Alan did not eat or in. Is not based on a true story its a brilliant ending, because members! Develops we discover that Charlie is gay and began to spiral into obesity after his lover! Ellie is in danger of flunking out of high school, he stands and walks towards (. Charlie tells Ellie he wanted to help Charlie ' ending explained as Brendan Fraser breaks that... Now in theaters is upset by Thomass presence and tells Charlie the truth about himself off to.! Petty cash of $ 2,400 from the movie in our the Whale ends with a gasp Charlie... Last visual shows the sun shining, the stage directions of that breath simply read, a door-to-door missionary an... Partner Alan, was Charlies romantic partner, as well as a signifier of her purity, honesty, a. 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Ew thinks will win at the Bay Areas Marin Theatre Company in 2014 Episode... Petty cash of $ 2,400 from the movie the Whale is the whale play ending explained in theaters Needs. Shining, the stage directions of that breath simply read, a New.! White light they begin a tense but curious friendship of rage, he gets some kind attack... Authentic self-expression, he stands and walks towards her based on a true story and..