1,682, This story has been shared 1,588 times. 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. Thank you for signing up to Whattowatch. What is the Global Partnership for Development? Whats New with RingCentral? The movie version of The Whale ends with a breath, a bright light and a beach. 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. 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. "I have this Forrest Gump-ian way of touching something and it becomes a hit!" However, hes almost out of money and he cant go back because he will be disowned. He asks her to make sure Ellie grows up to be a good person but she leaves without promising it. middle East He reads some of his students responses to his prompt to be honest. The stress and efforts he undertakes to be there for his family contribute to further binge eating and his physical condition continues to deteriorate, as does his mental state. That's where things get fantastical, as Fraser calls the final sequence an act of "contrition" for Charlie, in which he's "liberated" after finally breaking through her defensive armor, reaffirming to Ellie that he sees her for the person she is and always was. | Credit: A24 "Ellie torments him, when she cases him out the fist time. Alice in Borderland season 2 ending explained. Has the EUs Graphene Flagship hit its 10-year targets? Their unified assault on the King of Spades has . She finds out that he is not from New Life because they stopped doing door-to-door and she asks him about it. Charlie sobs that he is sorry for leaving Ellie. Ellie storms in, upset that the essay Charlie gave her to turn in got an F. The reason why it did was because it was not on the subject Ellie was assigned, but the Moby Dick essay Charlie had Thomas read to him. When it comes to the most anticipated movies of 2022, theres simply no way audiences can ignore The Whale. His father wanted him to leave when he found out he was a stoner. In a fit of rage, he took the petty cash of $2,400 from the church and left. In the opening moments, he becomes short of breath and nearly passes out. NAME 1,059, This story has been shared 1,025 times. He then finishes every food item in the house and pukes it out. Mary had sent it to him and he apologizes for leaving Ellie and describes her and the essay as amazing. Hes dying, Liz replies. Its a brilliant ending, because audience members have constantly told me they couldnt breathe afterwards. We earn a commission for products purchased through some links in this article. As he nears her, a white light begins to engulf them and Charlie is lifted into the air until the light takes over completely; the final shot is the a younger Charlie on the beach with Ellie as a little girl, a memory. (Get it? 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. Likewise, the off-Broadway version strategically lit the space so that it felt as if his room were hovering in this dark void, said director McCallum; the Chicago staging positioned the proscenium like an island in the sea, which was really effective because theyre all alone on their own islands in some ways, with all these barriers to connection, said director Schultz. After his breakdown in which he binge eats and gets stressed, his condition worsens. It was important to set that up structurally, these two moments that reflect each otherwhere in one Charlie fails and in the other, he succeeds. The Mandalorian's Pedro Pascal on season 3, Neighbours announces seven more returning cast. As he is told he is dying, Charlie reaches out to Ellie who shows up and is constantly rude to him. The Whale is now playing exclusively in movie theaters. 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. He keeps his camera off, telling his students that his webcam is broken. Darren AronofskyX WHALE has already proven to be one of the most controversial films of the year, which isn't all that surprising given Aronofsky's history in making controversial projects.Bye Brendan Fraser received widespread acclaim for its powerful performance of the overweight Professor Charlie, the film was seen as "fat . Audiences are now able to watch The Whale, the drama that is being billed as Brendan Fraser's career-defining performance. He says he wants to save at least one person and thought it could be Charlie. Dan represents society in "The Whale.". Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Thomas visits one last time and shows Charlie a Bible passage highlighted in Alans old Bible. At that moment, Ellie barges in and is angry as she failed because of the essay that Charlie wrote for her. Maybe he was thinking about what would happen if he stayed in that marriage: Ellie would have grown up with a closeted father, [his lover] Alan would have been miserable and, as Liz points out, would have probably died way before he did when he was with Charlie, Hunter continued. Warning: This article contains spoilers for The Whale. Ellie is an exceptionally angry teenager and is exceedingly cruel to her father. 3,273, This story has been shared 2,918 times. Or is she glad her dad left her when he did, to spare her his sad story? The Whale writer Samuel D Hunter has opened up about how he had no idea that the film's ending had changed from the play. After a blow-out argument with the pastor, Thomas stole all of the churchs petty cash and left. . Charlie, who is beginning to hyperventilate, tells Ellie that he didnt write the essayshe did. China In the meantime, Ellie says she hates Charlie and leaves with the essay he wrote for her. Charlie is also visited by his teenage daughter, Ellie (Sadie Sink), whom he hasnt seen since she was 8 years old. 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. While he was an adult, Charlie knew that it was wrong but he was in a bad space when he was married to Mary. It is later revealed that the essay was written by his daughter, Ellie. Liz and Ellies mother, Mary (Samantha Morton), show up and discover that Ellie has drugged her father. 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. During one of her visits, Ellie drugs Charlie and while he's asleep Thomas arrives, and the two bond over a joint. Its revealed that Ellie has demons of her own and has been bullying people online. By Gabriella Geisinger 27 Feb 2023 The Whale has received heaps of critical acclaim, but is not. TEC08 So it felt like the work on stage would make an amazing experience for people to get to know Charlie.. As he begins to actively have a heart attack, Ellie turns to leave. As he thinks he is dying, he tries to read an essay on Moby Dick but it falls to the ground. Mary comes with Liz when she hears about Ellie hanging out with Charlie and is shocked to see his appearance. Ellie then ends up tracking down Thomas parents and sends them the audio recording. Yes. Thankfully, the young missionary Thomas (Simpkins) is there to help him, reading an essay on Moby Dick that manages to help Charlie gain his composure. As Ellie reads about the whale in Moby Dick, Charlie stands to his full height, entirely on his own. "It's important because it's a Herculean effort that he makes to even get to his feet," Fraser says. 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. She tells him to go to the hospital and he says the money is for Ellie. Charlie, for once, stands up for himself, and more or less tells Thomas to piss off. 'The Whale' ending explained as Brendan Fraser breaks down that heartbreaking final scene between Charlie and Ellie. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Charlie tells Liz that he believe Ellie ratted. As he attempts to nudge daughter Ellie toward a place of authentic self-expression, he too reveals himself to his students. 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. Thats a magic movie. The Whale was filmed in New York State, primarily at a studio in Newburgh, New York, which is a city in New York's Hudson Valley region. A24. Thomas also wants to be redeemed by bringing Charlie back to religion and puts forth tremendous effort to do so. Thomas reveals he ran away from home after stealing money from his youth group; Ellie secretly records the confession. See Fraser explain the movie's ending in the video above. At that moment, a New Life missionary, Thomas comes knocking and Charlie begs him to read the essay for him. While Ellie doesnt verbalise her motives behind it, she ends up intentionally or unintentionally helping Thomas. Meanwhile, a young man named Thomas shows up to preach to Charlie about the New Life church; Charlie entertains him and the two strike up a strange bond. Thomas believes Alan died because he turned his back on God and gave into the flesh, aka homosexuality. 2,918, This story has been shared 2,770 times. Meet Emily Swallow, Stream It or Skip It: 'The Mandalorian' Season 3 on Disney+, Where Pedro Pascal Is Still Daddy (But in a Helmet), 'The Last of Us Part I' Sale: Take 29% Off The Game That Inspired The Show, 'The Last of Us' Episode 7 Recap: Mallrats, Yes, Ellie Has Always Been Gay in 'The Last of Us', Who Plays Riley in 'The Last of Us'? In an interview with Digital Spy, the writer talked . 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. After Liz coaxes Charlie back to consciousness, she finds out that Charlie, despite his protests about hospital bills, does, in fact, have money. Yes, the final scene sees Charlie pass away as a result of his unhealthy and dangerous habits, his heart finally giving out. It cuts to the flashback at the beach with Ellie which was peaceful memory for Charlie hinting that it is the last memory he saw before he died. After Charlie confirms that Thomas is being homophobic, he gets angry and starts recounting how they dated and made love and describes his body which disgusts Thomas who runs away. But the power of that final scene is that we know Charlie is facing the end.. Hunter doesnt shy away from any of the issues the characters are dealing with but doesnt bury you in [them] either, said Martin Benson, who directed a 2013 staging at South Coast Repertory. Check out What to Watch's thoughts on the movie in our The Whale review. But if you've already seen The Whale and want to get some clarity on what happened in that ending, we've got you covered. The true story of Luna, a young, wild killer whale who tries to befriend people on the rugged west coast of Vancouver Island. There is Liz (Hong Chau), Charlies nurse friend who cares for him. Entertainment Weekly is a registered trademark of Meredith Corporation All Rights Reserved. There are a wealth of reasons to be excited about the 2022 American drama movie, mainly because its been teased as Brendan Frasers triumphant comeback. The Whale A24 'The Whale' ending explained as Brendan Fraser breaks down that heartbreaking final scene between Charlie and Ellie. ASIA ", "He's struggling this entire film to put a mirror up to his daughter to say, 'This is who you are,' and in those final moments, that mirror is this essay," Hunter explains. The following contains spoilers from the movie "The Whale," now playing in theaters. Charlie thrusts an essay about Herman Melvilles Moby Dick into Thomass hands and instructs him to read it. Bath As written in Hunters script, the stage directions of that breath simply read, A sharp intake of breath. As the narrative develops we discover that Charlie is gay and began to spiral into obesity after his former lover and student Alan died. Hunter, who also adapted the screenplay for film, based the story on his own experience with obesity in college. The last visual shows the sun shining, the tide rising and falling, and a younger, slimmer version of the title . Because the movie is so bleak, I choose to interpret it as Ellie feeling grateful for both her mother and her father, who love her. If we really want to address these issues, weve got to get serious, says Farid. Whether he is in the afterlife, or reliving his favourite memory before his death, or whether this is simply a moment from the past for the audience's eyes that's up to you. sports When Alan did come back, he came with a partner which angered his father who kicked him out of the church. 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 instead decides to spend his last week of life attempted to reconnect with his estranged daughter. ASXPAC The MCUs tiniest heroes are kicking off its biggest phase yet, setting up the next several years of storytelling. 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. Did she write that she was glad family, perhaps? The movie version of "The Whale" ends with a breath, a bright light and a beach. The last visual shows the sun shining, the tide rising and falling, and a younger, slimmer version of the lead. Lyla Gill December 10, 2022. Moved by their honesty, he vows to be honest in return and turns on his web camera to show them his entire body. SOCI She is angry at him for leaving her and cheating on her mother and for never staying in touch. The way its structured, this play is designed to slowly and repeatedly turn up the pressure until it almost cant be tolerated, said Davis McCallum, who directed a 2012 off-Broadway staging at Playwrights Horizons. He proceeds not with a moral point but through observation of the way his characters either defend their bunkered existences or attempt to reach beyond them or more commonly, some combination of the two. Directed by Darren Aronofsky from a screenplay by Samuel D. Hunter, The Whale ends on a somber yet hopeful note. But the twist is that they forgive him, are not mad about him stealing the money and want him to come back home. MTPIX Ellie agrees that she'll spend time with her father if he agrees to write her school assignments for her, but she struggles to contain her anger. It would go on to win numerous awards, including the Lucille Lortel Award for Best Play, a 2013 Drama Desk Special Award for Significant Contribution to Theaters, the 2013 GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding New York Theater and more. Even though she is angry, she loves him. When I started writing The Whale, I think it all just came pouring out of me.. Brendan Fraser stars in the film adaptation of The Whale.. Charlie refuses to go to the hospital or make any changes to his lifestyle at the beginning of the film after his blood pressure shoots up and he has congestive heart failure. Want more movie news? 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. Are Perfect Match's Joey and Kariselle together? He always has his video camera off, leading some to speculate in the chat section about his personal life. On the last day of his life, Liz returns to Charlie to take care of him. Offers may be subject to change without notice. 6,491, This story has been shared 5,514 times. She cries as she wants him to go to the hospital when he cries in pain. companies Is TorFX the Right Choice for Your Currency Exchange Needs? Spending most of his time watching new movies at the theater or classics on TCM, some of Michael's favorite movies include Casablanca, Moulin Rouge!, Silence of the Lambs, Children of Men, One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest and Star Wars. . Which university gives most scholarship in USA? 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. 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. this link is to an external site that may or may not meet accessibility guidelines. 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. What is the average term for a small business loan? 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. 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