The Whale is an upcoming psychological drama film directed by Darren Aronofsky based on  Samuel D. Hunter's 2012 play of the same name. The film stars Brendan Fraser (of The Mummy franchise fame), Sadie Sink (of Stranger Things fame), Hong Chau, Ty Simpkins, and Samantha Morton. This A24 film is scheduled to be released on 9 December 2022. The Whale had its world premiere at the 79th Venice International Film Festival on 4 September 2022 where it received generally positive reviews with praise for the performances of Fraser, Sink, and Chau.

Now, the trailer for The Whale dropped and it was been making waves among the audience. It was the talk of the Toronto International Film Festival, New York Film Festival, BFI London Film Festival, and Venice Film Festival. Brendan Fraser received a standing ovation at basically all of them (six minutes long at Venice) for his leading performance. 

The film has seen a significant amount of critical discussion, notably using fatphobic language, and backlash against the fact that Fraser wears a fat suit to play the protagonist. Notably, Fraser has said in a Vanity Fair interview that he worked with Obesity Action Coalition to develop his character mindfully.

It tells the story of a 600 lb (270 kg) middle-aged English teacher named Charlie struggling through grief who tries to reconnect and forge a relationship with his seventeen-year-old daughter Ellie. The two grew apart after Charlie left his family for a man, who later died. Charlie then went on to binge eat out of pain and guilt due to which he grapples with a life-threatening eating disorder resulting in his current whale-like appearance.

Check out the trailer here: