last words of essay in the whale

Action/Adventure
Children's/Family
Documentary/Reality
Amazon Prime Video

More From Decider

'Unfrosted' Has Everyone Wondering "What's The Deal With Jerry Seinfeld?"

Chrissy Teigen Stuns John Legend On 'The Drew Barrymore Show' With Reveal...

Brooke Shields Flashed Her ‘Mother of the Bride’ Co-Star Benjamin...

Andy Cohen Reveals Sarah Jessica Parker's Reaction When He Suggested Rosie...

Anne Hathaway's 'Tonight Show' Interview Hits An Awkward Snag After The...

11 Best New Movies on Netflix: May 2024's Freshest Films to Watch

John Green’s ‘Turtles All the Way Down’ Cameo Is a Treat for His...

Spider-Man Swings onto 'X-Men '97' — But This Isn't Just Any Spider-Man

‘The Whale’ Ending Explained: Brendan Fraser’s Uncomfortable Drama Ends With a Final, Cruel Tragedy

Where to stream:.

To say The Whale is a difficult watch is the understatement of the century. The movie—which is now available to purchase on digital platforms like Amazon Prime Video —is a relentlessly uncomfortable and cruel two hours documenting the (spoiler alert!) final week of a 600-pound man, who has isolated himself from the world, and is now facing imminent death due to health issues caused by his weight.

Directed by Darren Aronofsky—the same man who brought you uncomfortable, divisive movies like Black Swan and mother! — The Whale is based on a 2012 play of the same name by Samuel D. Hunter. Hunter, who also adapted the screenplay for film, based the story on his own experience with obesity in college. “I know many people who are big, happy, and healthy, but I wasn’t,” Hunter said in an interview for the films’ press notes. “I had a lot of unprocessed emotions from attending a fundamentalist Christian school where my sexuality came to bear in an ugly way, and that emerged in an unhealthy relationship with food. When I started writing The Whale, I think it all just came pouring out of me.”

Thus , The Whale features many hard-to-watch sequences of binge-eating junk food, beads of sweat rolling down Brendan Fraser’s heavily make-upped face, and Fraser struggling to move around in a squishy, rolling fat suit. If you manage to make it to the end of the film, you’ll be met with a moving but ambiguous conclusion. Don’t worry, Decider is here to help. 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. Major spoilers ahead.

The Whale plot summary:

We meet Charlie (Brendan Fraser) as he is giving a virtual lecture for an online college English course. He keeps his camera off, telling his students that his webcam is broken. In reality, he is ashamed of his appearance as an obese, 600-pound man. Charlie can’t walk on his own and never leaves his house. Through the course of the film, he is visited by several recurring characters. There is Liz (Hong Chau), Charlie’s nurse friend who cares for him. Liz informs Charlie that his blood pressure is at a dangerous level, and that he needs to go to the hospital, or he will very likely die of congestive heart failure by the end of the week. Charlie refuses to go, citing the fact that he has no money and can’t afford the hospital bills. He instead decides to spend his last week of life attempted to reconnect with his estranged daughter.

Another visitor of Charlie’s is Thomas, a door-to-door missionary from an evangelical church called New Life. Thomas walks in on Charlie while he is hyperventilating and at risk of having a heart attack. Charlie thrusts an essay about Herman Melville’s Moby Dick into Thomas’s hands and instructs him to read it. After Charlie calms down, Thomas asks why Charlie asked him to read it. “I thought I was going to die, and I wanted to hear it one last time,” Charlie says. “It’s a really good essay.”

Charlie is also visited by his teenage daughter, Ellie (Sadie Sink), whom he hasn’t seen since she was 8 years old. Charlie, a gay man, left Ellie and her mom when Ellie was 8 because he fell in love with one of his (adult) students. Charlie tells Ellie he wanted to be part of her life, but that her mother forbade him from seeing her. Ellie is an exceptionally angry teenager and is exceedingly cruel to her father. When Charlie learns that Ellie is in danger of flunking out of high school, he offers to help her with her upcoming essay. He also offers to pay her to spend time with him—all the money he has, which is over $100,000.

brendan fraser

Chris Hemsworth, Jennifer Lawrence And More Slated As Oscars 2024 Presenters

Stream it or skip it: ‘doom patrol’ season 4 part 2 on max, the last hurrah for dc’s crazy jane, elasti-woman, robotman, negative man, and cyborg, the saddest tv cancellations of 2023… so far, leonardo dicaprio, martin scorsese’s ‘killers of the flower moon’ gets 9-minute standing ovation at cannes.

Thomas the missionary returns to Charlie’s home because he believes he was sent by God at the exact right moment to help Charlie. Liz is upset by Thomas’s presence and tells him to leave Charlie alone. We learn that Liz’s brother, Alan, was Charlie’s romantic partner, as well as a member of the New Life church. Liz blames New Life for her brother’s extreme unhappiness—because he was told his sexuality went against the will of God—which eventually led to Alan jumping off a bridge and killing himself. Charlie, in his grief, began binge-eating in response.

Charlie’s health is rapidly declining. Liz brings Charlie a wheelchair to help him move around his house. Ellie once again visits Charlie and demands that he write her essay assignment. Charlie agrees. Despite how cruel Ellie is to Charlie, he insists she is an amazing person. Ellie slips Charlie sleeping pills, and while he is unconscious, Thomas the missionary once again comes to visit, and Ellie threatens to kill her father if Thomas doesn’t smoke pot with her. She snaps an incriminating photo of Thomas, and then confronts him: She knows he’s not from New Life, because she knows that New Life no longer has door-to-door missionaries.

Thomas confesses that while he used to be a missionary—after his parents sent him away to the church when they discovered him smoking pot–he grew frustrated with the church’s lack of social outreach and felt he wasn’t truly helping people. After a blow-out argument with the pastor, Thomas stole all of the church’s petty cash and left. He confesses to Ellie that he is almost out of money, but is too afraid to go home. Ellie secretly records his confession.

Liz and Ellie’s mother, Mary (Samantha Morton), show up and discover that Ellie has drugged her father. After Liz coaxes Charlie back to consciousness, she finds out that Charlie, despite his protests about hospital bills, does, in fact, have money. He’s just been saving all of it to give to Ellie. Liz is furious that Charlie has refused to buy the medical care and equipment he needs, and storms out. Ellie storms out too, telling her dad to “just fucking die already.” Charlie gives Ellie the essay she asked for before she leaves.

Charlie and Mary talk about their life and marriage. Charlie shares a memory of going to the beach with Ellie and Mary and swimming in the ocean. Mary tells Charlie one reason she kept Charlie away from Ellie is that she was afraid Ellie would hurt him. Mary says Ellie is “evil,” and shows Charlie a cruel picture of himself that Ellie posted on social media, mocking him. Charlie continues to insist that Ellie is amazing and that she’s a great writer. Mary leaves in tears, and Charlie, also in tears, tells her that he has to believe he’s done one good thing in his life, aka Ellie.

After Mary leaves, Charlie goes on a binge eating session that ends in him vomiting. He rashly posts a prompt on his students’ online message board, challenging them to write something honest. Thomas visits one last time and shows Charlie a Bible passage highlighted in Alan’s old Bible. Thomas believes Alan died because he turned his back on God and gave into “the flesh,” aka homosexuality. Charlie, for once, stands up for himself, and more or less tells Thomas to piss off. Thomas informs Charlie that Ellie sent his recorded confession to his church and parents, and that both parties forgave him, meaning he can finally go home.

In his final webinar class, Charlie reveals he has been fired. He reads some of his students’ responses to his prompt to be honest. Moved by their honesty, he vows to be honest in return and turns on his web camera to show them his entire body. The students react in shock and disgust.

The Whale ending explained:

On the last day of his life, Liz returns to Charlie to take care of him. Even though she is angry, she loves him. 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. When she sees the shape Charlie is in, she uncertainly asks Liz what’s wrong. “He’s dying,” Liz replies. Ellie says to call an ambulance, but Charlie replies, “No.” Ellie asks to speak to Charlie alone, and although Liz doesn’t want to leave Charlie, she agrees. Liz seems to realize that she is saying goodbye to Charlie, and tells him she’ll wait downstairs.

Ellie demands to know why Charlie failed her assignment and accuses him of purposefully screwing her over. Charlie, who is beginning to hyperventilate, tells Ellie that he didn’t write the essay—she did. It’s an essay on Moby Dick that Ellie wrote in 8th grade. Ellie’s mom sent the essay to Charlie, and Charlie believes it’s the best essay he’s ever read. Charlie sobs that he is sorry for leaving Ellie. As he begins to actively have a heart attack, Ellie turns to leave. Charlie begs her to read her essay to him, and she relents. As Ellie reads about the whale in Moby Dick , Charlie stands to his full height, entirely on his own. (Get it? He’s the whale!)

With a massive effort, Charlie walks toward Ellie. When Ellie reads Charlie’s favorite line in the essay—”And 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 wasn’t so obese.

Ellie steps toward Charlie. She begins to read the next line of the essay, “This book made me think about my own life, and then it made me glad for my–” but she cuts off. Charlie and Ellie smile at each other. Then with a gasp, Charlie floats off the floor and into a bright white light. With that, the movie ends.

Does Charlie die in The Whale ?

Yes. While one could argue that The Whale ending is up for interpretation, my interpretation is that Charlie’s feet leaving the ground is a clear metaphor for Charlie’s body leaving this earth, aka, that he has died of heart failure. 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. Liz said at the beginning of the final scene that Charlie is dying.

This is slightly different from how the stage version of The Whale ends, with a hard cut to black. But in an interview with editor Andrew Weisblum for the film’s press notes, it seems clear that the filmmakers intended this scene to indicate “the end” of Charlie’s life, and that it mirror the first scene that Charlie has with Ellie. “It was important to set that up structurally, these two moments that reflect each other—where in one Charlie fails and in the other, he succeeds. The cutting patterns and shot choices of the two scenes are very similar. But the power of that final scene is that we know Charlie is facing the end.”

What was the end of Ellie’s essay in The Whale ?

But what about that final line of Ellie’s essay, that we never got to hear? What is she glad for? Unfortunately, we’ll never know. The full essay is never read in the movie and always cuts off before that final line.

While we never get to hear what it was that Ellie was glad for in her own life, it’s clear that this is the most impactful part of the essay for Charlie. Did she write that she was glad family, perhaps? Or is she glad her dad left her when he did, to spare her his sad story? Or for the fact that she has books to read, to escape her own sad story, just for a little while?

It’s up to you to fill in the blank. 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. I just need Charlie to know that Ellie was grateful for his love. He needed to know he did one good thing with his life, he said. Maybe he’s clinging to that essay because the final line, written by Ellie, confirms that he did.

Ending Explained
Prime Video

'The View's Sunny Hostin Covers Her Face In Embarrassment As Whoopi Goldberg Asks If She'd Let Sherri Shepherd Date Her 21-Year-Old Son

Does 'Yellowstone' Return Tonight? 'Yellowstone's Season 5, Part 2 Premiere Date Info, Kevin Costner Updates, And More

Stream It Or Skip It: ‘The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare’ on VOD, in Which Guy Ritchie Directs A Fictional Spin on a Real-Life WWII Era Secret Spy Mission

'Unfrosted' Has Everyone Wondering "What's The Deal With Jerry Seinfeld?"

Andy Cohen Reveals Sarah Jessica Parker's Reaction When He Suggested Rosie O'Donnell Take Over As Che Diaz In 'And Just Like That'

Chrissy Teigen Stuns John Legend On 'The Drew Barrymore Show' With Reveal About Her Exes: "Wow"

Screen Rant

Brendan fraser shares his interpretation of the whale’s final scene.

Your changes have been saved

Email Is sent

Please verify your email address.

You’ve reached your account maximum for followed topics.

New Horror Movie With 21% RT Score Nearly Triples Budget At The Box Office In Just 10 Days

Anne hathaway’s new rom-com success is great news for disney's upcoming sequel to her 23-year-old movie, what happened to the blue wizards after lord of the rings.

Warning: This post contains spoilers for The Whale. Brendan Fraser breaks down his interpretation of The Whale 's ending after it concludes on an ambiguous note. The Whale premiered on December 9 and is an emotional psychological drama starring Fraser. It has been touted as Fraser's comeback film after he disappeared from the Hollywood scene for many years. The Whale follows Charlie (Fraser), a morbidly obese man who tries to reconnect with his estranged daughter, Ellie (Sadie Sink). The film has received mixed-to-positive reviews so far, with critics being nearly unanimous in their praise of Fraser's performance. However, the film has received some criticism for director Darren Aronofsky's melodramatic adaption of Samuel D. Hunter's 2012 play of the same name.

In an interview with Entertainment Weekly , Fraser and Hunter (who also wrote the film's screenplay) shed some light on the ambiguous ending of The Whale . For many viewers, the scene may seem tragic and to others, the religious undertones may evade their understanding. Hence, Fraser and Hunter discuss how they interpreted the ending and how it was a hero's ending for Charlie, one in which he found liberation. Check out their statements below:

Fraser: It's important because it's a Herculean effort that he makes to even get to his feet. For him to finally break through to her, humble himself before her, and let her know that he made a mistake and is sorry for it. While his life has not physically ended in that moment, I think that he knows he doesn't need to live any longer, which is why he takes off his breather, he's got her reading the essay, and he does take to his feet like three Olympic dead-lifters, takes his baby steps to his baby, and in that beautiful two-shot, a great white light appears, and they look skyward. Depending on your belief system, spiritually or otherwise, we see that Charlie — with a touch of magic realism — finally does fly. Hunter: 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, when she looks at it, she can't deny turning it in and getting a D, but then, here's her father, all these years later, being like, 'This is the best essay I've ever read.' At long last, he's the only person who sees her, and she knows it.

Related: The Whale Confirms Sadie Sink Is Stranger Things' True Breakout Star

What Happens In The Whale's Ending

Fraser and Hunter's explanation of the ending will be welcomed by some, as The Whale 's final scene is a bit difficult to understand on paper. Before the ending can fully be explained, Fraser reveals that viewers needed to understand an earlier scene in the film. That particular Whale scene was one in which Ellie and Charlie first begin spending time together after Charlie agrees to help her write an essay for school. Ellie, still hurt at being abandoned by her father, tries to hurt him back by challenging him to walk. Unfortunately, at that point in The Whale , he can't stand or walk, and is therefore unable to prove himself to her.

In the final scene of The Whale , Ellie confronts Charlie about switching out her essay with an essay on Moby Dick she wrote in 8th grade. Charlie switched out the essays because he finally saw her and understood that the latter essay was an expression of herself. Though Ellie is defensive at first, the two end up attempting to connect one last time. To do so, Charlie asks Ellie to read the essay to him. As she does so, despite his health failing him, Charlie manages to stand and walk toward her. He is finally able to prove himself to her. However, the effort of walking is more than Charlie can withstand, and he dies as Ellie reads the essay. In the end, a bright light seemingly shines down, which could be interpreted literally as Charlie ascending to heaven or figuratively to prove that he has been redeemed.

Ultimately, The Whale 's ending has many layers to it, and it is tragic in some sense. However, Fraser and Hunter point out that the underlying theme is redemption and liberation. In the end, Charlie is willing to accept his death because he has accomplished the one goal that he had, which was to prove to his daughter that she is seen and understood. It is also an extremely touching portrayal of the relationship between a parent and a child. Even though Charlie failed Ellie in many ways, he proved that his parental instinct and love for his daughter never faded as he was able to see the value and the piece of his daughter within a years-old 8th grade essay. According to Fraser and Hunter, The Whale 's ending isn't ambiguous or tragic but hopeful for all the parents out there seeking redemption.

Next: Why The Whale Is Controversial, Despite Brendan Fraser's Comeback

The Whale (2022)

The Whale Ending Explained: Step Into The Light

"The Whale," is a controversial and devastating film that seems to be going in an obvious direction, but a growing undercurrent of hope leaves viewers guessing about where exactly our protagonist will end up. Charlie (Brendan Fraser) is an online schoolteacher whose binge eating has cost him his mobility, his health, the possibility of regular human interaction, and any semblance of normalcy. When he finally starts suffering from congestive heart failure and refuses to go to the hospital, he is given a prognosis of just a few remaining days. Charlie doesn't change his ways or seek proper medical attention, but he does finally reach out to his estranged daughter Ellie (Sadie Sink).

At their first meeting in years, the callous teenager challenges her father to walk toward her without the assistance of his walker. He fails at first, but in the final moments of the movie, he actually succeeds. As he makes his way to her, she reads him an analytical essay about Moby Dick that she wrote as a child. She does so at Charlie's request — he recites it to himself often throughout the film. He even has another character read it to him during his first health scare at the beginning of the movie because he wants it to be the last thing he hears before he dies.

Charlie makes his way to where his daughter stands in his doorway before levitating and disappearing into his fondest memory of his family. In this memory, he stands on the ocean shore with his feet in the water, while his young daughter plays in the sand and her mother watches on.

So what exactly does this memory mean? Why is it the last image of the Academy Award-winning film? Does Charlie really die in the end? And why is Charlie so fixated on this essay when it doesn't have any apparent relationship to his own life?

What you need to remember about the plot of The Whale

A few things remain sacred to Charlie as he slips into complete isolation and a fatal health crisis. One is Ellie, whom he hasn't seen in years before the events of the film. He remains connected to her through this essay. He is particularly fixated on a line where she says that "Moby Dick" allowed her to "think about my own life." This follows her analysis that Ahab thinks killing the whale will make his life better, but the whale is completely emotionless. This suggests that Ellie views her father as her own kind of whale — not because of his size, but because of his estrangement. She thinks that he is the cause of all the pain in her life and that he doesn't care about her at all, having not heard from him in years.

Charlie makes strides in repairing his relationship with Ellie over the course of the film, but he is scared of re-entering her life after his family fell apart when he left his wife for one of his male students. This love, which once offered solace, quickly became its own source of tragedy for Charlie when severe depression and emotional turmoil led his partner into life-threatening anorexia and suicide. Charlie avoids memories of his late partner, even the happy ones, and keeps them hidden away in a locked room or tucked into a bookshelf. But he does allow himself to ruminate on a happy memory of his family. Even though he is kept at bay by his affair, a custody battle, and eventually his weight gain, he knows they are out there living their lives still and thus allows himself to preserve a happy memory of them at the beach.

What happens at the end of The Whale?

At the end of "The Whale," Charlie makes a triumphant march to his daughter as she reads to him from the essay that he loves so much. Despite being on his deathbed (or perhaps death couch is more accurate), he manages to achieve a physical feat that he was unable to do days earlier. He rips off the tubes that aid his breathing, pushes himself to his feet, and trudges towards Ellie as she reads out the words he knows by heart. Just as he reaches her in the doorway, he ascends. His feet fly off the ground, his eyes turn to the heavens, and he is transported back to that peaceful day at the beach. In this memory, he is down to a healthier weight again. His feet are in the ocean, his young daughter plays in the sand, and his ex-wife Mary (Samantha Morton) haunts the edge of the frame like a specter, watching on.

So what exactly does this mean? Where is Charlie going? And did he actually get up and walk towards Ellie at all? The answer might seem cut and dry, but there are actually a few competing theories.

Did Charlie die in the end?

The most obvious conclusion to draw from this ending is that Charlie has perished from the congestive heart failure that is slowly killing him over the course of the film. The movie catalogs his final days, beginning on a Monday when his dear friend and nurse, Liz (Hong Chau), says he will be dead by the weekend. Although we don't see Charlie's dead body or his funeral, we know he is on the brink of death and that the strain he puts on his body by walking towards his daughter will likely cause his heart to finally fail. However, the ending is slightly ambiguous.

Part of the reason why Charlie's death is questionable is because it's unclear whether he wants to die or not. There are moments where he indulges dangerously in junk food and others where he stops himself, at least momentarily. His commitment to over-eating and reluctance to seek medical attention suggests that he is suicidal, but certain things hint at an optimism or will to live. He puts out apples for a bird that comes to his windowsill every day, something Ellie notices right away. Charlie also makes a last-ditch effort to reconnect with his daughter, and in getting to know her, finds a newfound love of humanity in general, declaring that, "People are amazing!" It almost seems too cruel that this reconnection with Ellie and subsequent optimism would come too late — when his body was too far gone to be saved — and that he would die anyway. So maybe that's not what happened.

Does Charlie go to heaven?

In Charlie's final moment, he retreats again to a memory of himself and his family on the beach. This memory, which Charlie references in conversation with his ex-wife in a previous scene, was a true moment of peace and clarity of spirit for him — perhaps the last he ever felt. So, is this heaven? The answer might guide the viewer as to whether or not Charlie died or not.

It's interesting that Charlie would end up in some version of heaven because of his complicated relationship with religion. Thomas (Ty Simpkins), a missionary from a local New Life church is a frequent guest at Charlie's house in the week leading up to his death. Charlie's late boyfriend Alan was the son of the head of the church and a devout follower. When his father found out about Alan's relationship with Charlie, he exiled him from the church, which is what sent Alan into a depressive episode that eventually led to his death. Charlie was at odds with Alan's faith when he was alive and remains at odds with it after his passing. This religion vehemently rejects homosexuality and insists that a sinner like Alan or Charlie would never get to heaven. The missionary encourages Charlie to deny his sexuality and bodily sins and ask for God's forgiveness so that he might gain salvation in the afterlife, but he refuses. How ironic would it be if Charlie ended up in a blissful eternity anyway?

The religious themes of the movie suggest that Charlie did in fact die and go to heaven in the end, but they may have just alluded to a kind of spiritual peace or death of ego that does not necessarily imply a physical death.

What has the cast and crew of The Whale said about the ending?

Brendan Fraser, who plays Charlie in "The Whale," has a theory about the film's ending that might surprise you. He described the ending to Entertainment Weekly and, in doing so, revealed that he does not think his character perishes in the final moments of the film:

"[I]t's a Herculean effort that he makes to even get to his feet. For him to finally break through to [Ellie], humble himself before her, and let her know that he made a mistake and is sorry for it. While his life has not physically ended in that moment, I think that he knows he doesn't need to live any longer, which is why he takes off his breather, he's got her reading the essay, and he does take to his feet like three Olympic dead-lifters, takes his baby steps to his baby, and in that beautiful two-shot, a great white light appears, and they look skyward. Depending on your belief system, spiritually or otherwise, we see that Charlie — with a touch of magic realism — finally does fly."

The white light and skyward look, along with the state of Charlie's health, definitely suggest that this is the moment his life "physically" ends, despite Fraser's interpretation. However, Charlie's march toward his daughter could be interpreted as a purely symbolic moment in itself.

"I think it's an apotheosis — you can take it how you want it," added playwright Samuel D. Hunter, who also adapted the work for the screen. "In the play, the way I wrote it is that you hear a sound of waves and they slowly intensify through that scene, so, there's a way to read it both ways. It wants to be miraculous, either literally or figuratively, and I think you can watch it either way."

The play had a surprising alternate ending

As it turns out, the choice to end the film with Charlie standing on the beach was entirely the idea of director Darren Aronofsky. The production of the play makes reference to Charlie's aforementioned memory through the sound of waves, but it ends abruptly, mid-sentence, with Charlie making his way to Ellie. Hunter gave his candid thoughts on Aronofsky's take on the ending in an interview with Digital Spy :

"The way the play ends is, Ellie has the last line of the essay: 'It made me feel glad for my ...' And she's cut off by the stage direction — 'a sharp intake of breath'. 'Charlie looks up, and has a sharp intake of breath. End of play.' I actually didn't know about the beach scenes until I saw a rough cut. It was just kind of an incredible surprise. I had no idea until I saw the rough cut, and I was so intensely moved by it. I was just like, 'Oh my God, that's perfect.' [...] In the play, it's the one moment that I script as he's giving that monologue about the Oregon coast that the sound of waves comes in. In the play, it's heightened, and expands a little bit. I think Darren [Aronofsky] took that idea, and kind of ran with it, in this gorgeous way."

Even though the movie ends in a slightly less ambiguous place than the stageplay, there is clearly still room for interpretation. Just like in the original piece from which it is adapted, the film dissolves its realism in this final scene and moves to a place of symbolism or magical realism. No matter how you interpret the ending of "The Whale," it certainly feels like a conclusive end to Charlie's story.

"The Whale" is currently available to stream on Showtime through Paramount Plus, and for rent on all the major streaming platforms.

'The Whale' Ending Explained: What Happens in Brendan Fraser’s Comeback?

No surprise from Aronofsky, but we have some questions!

Editor's Note: The following contains spoilers for The Whale Darren Aronofsky ’s The Whale has already proven to be one of the most controversial films of the year, which isn’t all that surprising considering Aronofsky’s history of making divisive projects. While Brendan Fraser has received widespread acclaim for his powerful performance as the overweight professor Charlie, the film has been perceived as “fatphobic” by some critics. It will be interesting to see where The Whale ends up landing this awards season; some view it as emotionally devastating, while others consider it to be manipulative and overtly cruel.

What Is 'The Whale' About?

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. The film takes place entirely within Charlie’s apartment as his friend Liz ( Hong Chau ) comes to care for him. Charlie has managed to isolate himself from the world; he communicates with his students via Zoom but does not ever show his face. Charlie decides to reconnect with his daughter, Ellie ( Sadie Sink ), who has no interest in him. Charlie agrees to help write her English papers if she will spend time with him and write personal essays from her heart.

Towards the end of the film, Charlie’s world begins to crumble. After making a series of inflammatory messages to his students, he’s fired from his job. His ex-wife, Mary ( Samantha Morton ), confronts him about his relationship with Ellie and criticizes him for his failures in their marriage. After being alerted that he has congestive heart failure, Charlie goes on an eating binge and consumes pizza until he vomits. It’s an emotionally overwhelming experience, especially toward the very final moments of the story.

Why Does Mary Not Want Charlie to See Ellie?

As Charlie reveals early on, he is openly gay and was in a relationship with one of his former students, Alan. Following Alan’s death, Charlie began compulsively eating, prompting Alan’s sister Liz to come and take care of him. As part of their arrangement, Mary forbids Charlie from contacting Ellie; she reacts with rage when she realizes he’s asked her to visit him. While Charlie is apologetic for his failure as a father, he does not apologize for his sexuality. In one of the most powerful scenes in the film, Charlie stands up to the missionary boy Thomas ( Ty Simpkins ), whose religion preaches homophobic messaging.

What Happened to Thomas?

As Mary reveals to Charlie, Ellie has been bullying people online through a private Facebook page. Mary feels that she has raised a cruel child and despite how Charlie has hurt the family, Ellie is the true “monster” in their family. In addition to posting pictures of her father, Ellie sends photos of Thomas (a former addict) to his church and family. Despite the seemingly cruel action, Thomas tells Charlie that he has newfound faith in people, as his parents have reached out to forgive him and welcome him home. Thomas also finds a picture of Charlie with Alan and realizes that he only put on the weight as a means of coping with his partner’s suicide.

RELATED: ‘The Whale’ Review: May the “Brenaissance” Continue Beyond Darren Aronofsky's Film

What Happened to Ellie?

Even though her father has been ghostwriting her essays so she can graduate, Ellie lashes out at Charlie when she realizes that he sent in an essay that she wrote when she was younger. Charlie feels that the essay is “honest” in a way that he appreciates, as he’s irritated by his students’ generic responses to his questions and prompts. He’s kept the essay for years and uses it to comfort himself. He tells Ellie how beautiful and talented she is, and for the first time, Ellie believes it. Even though Ellie spends the majority of the story mocking other people, she is in denial of her own talents and insecurities.

What Was Going on With the Pizza Delivery Boy?

Throughout the film, Charlie orders pizza online and has the delivery boy, Dan ( Sathya Sridharan ), leave it outside his door. While Dan tries to spark a conversation with him because he visits Charlie’s apartment so often, Charlie refuses to step outside and show his face. However, Dan decides to wait on the porch when Charlie comes to pick up the pizza and finally sees him for the first time. His immediate response is to look at Charlie in disgust.

What is Charlie Trying to Do at the End?

Charlie’s ultimate goal is to be completely honest with everyone around him. He refuses to apologize for his homosexuality to Thomas, and chastises him for thinking of him as “disgusting.” He realizes that even though Ellie appears to be cynical, she is really just seeking approval. He even shows his face to his students, and compliments some of the responses that they left in the last message board post that he felt were more honest than their previous work.

What Is Happening to Charlie in the Film’s Final Moments?

Charlie is dying at the very end and refuses to go to the hospital. As he bonds with Ellie, he attempts to stand. Between the effort of moving and his overall mental state, Charlie dies and ascends into an idealized version of heaven. It’s not the first time that Aronofsky has tackled religious imagery within his films. Both Noah and The Fountain directly deal with faith, spirituality, the afterlife, and the stories of the Bible-inspired mother! While Charlie meets his fate, he’s able to feel accomplished and unashamed.

What are the Differences Between the Play and the Film?

While both the original stage production and the film are very similar, Hunter made some changes to the script when translating it to a feature. Certain elements of the story, such as the Zoom calls and personal photographs, are detailed in a way that wasn’t possible on stage. While the play was released in 2012, the film takes place amidst the 2016 U.S. Presidential Election, as news footage can be seen in the background. The endings are the same, but the film is slightly more hopeful, as Charlie feels that he has accomplished something greater.

Stories for open-minded

The Whale movie explained: Charlie, the ending & meaning

The Whale is one of those movies that want to make you feel uncomfortable. It doesn’t try to stage a safe, comforting experience. It didn’t want to entertain the spectator. What the movie tries to do is present an authentic story of pain, exploring feelings, motives, and events that can turn a life upside down. Spectators were obviously puzzled: what is the meaning of the ending? Does Charlie die? And what’s the message the film wants to convey? In this article, everything about the core of The Whale will be explained.

You can watch the official trailer for The Whale here on Youtube .

The Whale explained: Charlie, the ending and the movie meaning

Two main characters constitute the blood and flesh of the movie: Charlie and his daughter Ellie. The stories of their lives explained the message of The Whale , culminating in the ending. Charlie is a professor, and he was married to Mary. When their daughter Ellie was eight years old, Charlie fell in love with Alan, one of his students. He decides to abandon his family and live with Alan. Mary will hate him for this and forbid him to get close to her and her daughter. Years later, Alan struggles to manage his life; his family refuses him for his choices. His guilt destroys him, leading him to commit suicide. Charlie will therefore find himself alone, reasoning about the mistakes he made in his life. He will begin a self-punishing descent into obesity that will ruin his life.

At the ending of The Whale , Charlie dies in front of his daughter Ellie, and the image of his feet levitating explained it with a beautiful metaphor. Charlie says it clearly for the whole movie: he doesn’t want to be saved. Listening to his story, we can try to understand how he feels: he had a wife and a daughter. He fell in love with Alan, and that destroyed his family’s lives. He cannot see his beloved daughter. Charlie did all this out of love for Alan, but after his boyfriend commits suicide, he has nothing left. The feeling is that he didn’t do a single good thing in his life: that’s why Charlie feels no purpose; there is no reason to improve his life. By eating junk food with no limits, he’s destroying himself, a self-punishment that he sees as unavoidable. He doesn’t even try to restore the relationship with his daughter because he knows nobody in this world would want him in their lives. Therefore, he will just die soon. And his money will go to his daughter, feeling it will be the only good thing he will do in life.

Ellie is a young woman who grew up with a mother with drinking problems and a father who abandoned her. She hates everyone; she’s drowning in anger and hate, and that’s just a normal consequence of a life without love. She doesn’t know the language of love: her parents acted like they didn’t love her, at least in her eyes. Her mother thinks she’s evil; her father believes she’s perfect. The truth is in the middle: “Evil” is not the trait of people born to hurt others, but the way we experience individuals who feel the urge to fight the world like their worst enemy. They attack everything they face because they are hurt. Defense is the only dynamic that drives them, and since they can be hurt by anything, every single presence in their lives becomes a threat. They are constantly at war: that’s why they destroy everything that crosses their way.

We can safely say that Ellie is not perfect, but we support Charlie in trying to understand her. Ellie’s behavior is a constant cry for help: she scratches everyone who gets closer because she desperately needs love. She is overwhelmed by her feelings, and she needs a guide. Basically, she needs the parents she never had. That’s why Charlie triggers her hate so much: he represents the reason why everything went south in her life. She always needed a loving father, and having it with so many years of delay is unbearable.

Identifying ourselves in Charlie, Ellie, and their stories, the meaning and the ending of The Whale are explained: Charlie knows he’s dying, and there is nothing he’s doing to prevent it. He feels terrible, and the only thing that can make him feel better is an old essay Ellie wrote when she was a child: while she reads it loud, Charlie finds the strength to do what Ellie asked him the first day, walking towards her. It’s the last effort his body is able to make: the second after, Charlie dies.

There is no lesson we can learn; even religion cannot help. We cannot explain Charlie, Ellie, or Alan’s destiny with the Bible. Every life can become hell, partly because of our own mistakes, but the consequences are often worse than what we deserve. Charlie didn’t deserve a life where everything would point at him as a total failure. Ellie didn’t deserve to grow up as a woman dominated by her own hate. With both of them, life has been more challenging than deserved, and there is nothing they can do. Ultimately, The Whale leaves us with a sense of impotence and a precise meaning: we watched a compact series of broken individuals, and we only learned that blaming someone makes no sense.

Discover other movies and TV shows explained on Auralcrave

Share this story:

Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
Click to share on Pocket (Opens in new window)

About us | Privacy Policy | Contact us

The Whale Ending, Explained

The ending of Darren Aronofsky's most recent film, The Whale, left many people with more questions than answers. Let's break it down.

The Whale is a comeback film for Brendan Fraser, who delivers a highly-praised performance that won him his first Oscar for Best Actor.
The film polarized critics due to its portrayal of obesity, with some claiming it stigmatizes and mocks fat people.
The ending of The Whale is open to interpretation, with audiences debating whether the protagonist dies or experiences a symbolic moment of liberation.

The Whale hit the silver screen in 2022, marking the ultimate comeback of fan favorite Brendan Fraser following a few rocky years in his career and personal life. This Darren Aronofsky film, based on Samuel D. Hunter's 2012 play, was in the pipeline for years, as the director struggled to find the perfect actor to star in it. That remained the case until, eventually, he decided to cast Fraser based on his work in 2006's Journey to the End of the Night , a move that couldn't have worked out better: for his performance, the actor was lauded by critics and audiences alike, and took home his very first Oscar for Best Actor, among many, many other accolades. Joining Brendan in an equally brilliant cast are Sadie Sink, Hong Chau, Ty Simpkins, and Samantha Morton.

With a worldwide gross of over $54 million against a $3 million budget, Aronofsky's film became an instant box-office hit and won several awards. However, reviews were quite polarized : while most critics praised Fraser's performance as the finest of his career and had kind words for the rest of the cast, others harshly slammed the film's portrayal of obesity, claiming that it stigmatizes and even mocks fat people. One thing is for sure: The Whale 's ending baffled many moviegoers. Let's break it down.

A reclusive English teacher suffering from severe obesity attempts to reconnect with his estranged teenage daughter. Directed by Darren Aronofsky and starring Brendan Fraser.

What Is The Whale About?

Unlike other films comprising director Darren Aronofsky's filmography , The Whale has a fairly straightforward plot — though, of course, it's not without a certain complexity. It introduces Charlie (Fraser), a morbidly obese English teacher, who lives secluded from society in the privacy of his home, a place that is not quite suited to his needs. His sole connection to the world around him is his computer, from which he teaches college students while keeping his webcam off, as well as frequent visits from his friend Liz (Chau), a nurse who goes out of her way to help him. From the very beginning of the film, it is revealed that Charlie's congestive heart failure is worsening by leaps and bounds, and he has only a few days to live.

Despite Liz's insistence and this bleak prognosis, Charlie refuses to seek medical assistance since, according to him, he does not have the means to do so. Instead, he sets out to rebuild the bond with his daughter Ellie (Sink), whom he abandoned at the age of eight when he left his wife to chase an affair with his former student Alan. In an attempt to get his daughter to forgive him, he offers her a hefty sum of money that he saved over the years, along with doing all of her homework if she spends time with him and writes something honest for him — which she reluctantly accepts.

Related: The Whale Review: Brendan Fraser's Awe-inspiring Performance Keeps Darren Aronofsky's Film Afloat

The Whale essentially provides the audience with a first-hand look at what seem to be the last days in Charlie's life, his overwhelming desire to bond with a daughter who has no interest in him whatsoever, his conflicted relationship with religion explored through his connection with a Christian missionary who seems hell-bent on saving him, and the rampant but useless efforts of the few people around him to get the man to seek medical care once and for all.

What Happens at the End of The Whale?

On his deathbed, Charlie gets one last visit from his daughter, enraged that the essay he wrote for her made her flunk. As it happens, he actually replaced the piece with an essay on Moby-Dick written by Ellie when she was just a child, which is how the audience comes to discover why the real author of the essay of such significance to Charlie throughout the film. Realizing he is in his final hour , the man asks his daughter to read it aloud to him one last time in spite of knowing its words by heart, and as she does so, he manages to stand up and walk over to her with remarkable strength, something he had not been able to do the previous days.

Upon reaching Ellie, they both smile at each other, Charlie's feet are lifted off the ground, and he becomes surrounded by a bright white light. Just before The Whale 's credits roll, we get a brief but significant scene featuring a healthier Charlie dipping his feet in the ocean with his infant daughter, playing in the sand and his ex-wife watching them from afar.

Judging from everything we saw in The Whale , we can deduce that, in the end, Charlie dies, and that this cherished memory of a happier time might be his own idealized version of heaven. Before he dies, he gets the redemption he sought so hard in his final days: Ellie seems to have started to let go of the resentment she holds against him for walking out on her, and Charlie departs this world convinced that he may have turned her life around (though this could very well be his own interpretation of the matter).

But as obvious as this conclusion may seem, Aronofsky makes sure to leave the door open to audiences' interpretation, not only regarding Charlie's tragic outcome, but also the moments leading up to it. This, in a sense, invites us to second-guess the truth of what is unfolding at the end of The Whale . Does Charlie really manage to stand on his own two feet, walk to his daughter, and obtain her forgiveness? Or is this simply a deathbed hallucination before taking his last breath? There are as many possible interpretations of The Whale 's ending as there are people who saw it, yet it's safe to say that this film has certainly left a number of unanswered questions that will continue to spark some very interesting debates.

Related: The Whale Writer Reflects on the Brendan Fraser Film's Success

What The Cast Has to Say About It

The wonderful thing about films with open or ambiguous endings is that they allow everyone who watches them to come up with their own conclusions, even those who made the movie. Brendan Fraser, in particular, attributed a very different meaning to The Whale 's ending: for him, his character does not die in the final moments, but rather goes through a symbolic moment of liberation as he walks towards his daughter.

"It's important because it's a Herculean effort that he makes to even get to his feet", he told Entertainment Weekly . "For him to finally break through to her, humble himself before her, and let her know that he made a mistake and is sorry for it. While his life has not physically ended in that moment, I think that he knows he doesn't need to live any longer, which is why he takes off his breather, he's got her reading the essay, and he does take to his feet like three Olympic dead-lifters, takes his baby steps to his baby, and in that beautiful two-shot, a great white light appears, and they look skyward. Depending on your belief system, spiritually or otherwise, we see that Charlie — with a touch of magic realism — finally does fly".

Samuel D. Hunter, screenwriter and creator of the original play, also weighed in: "I think it's an apotheosis — you can take it how you want it. In the play, the way I wrote it is that you hear a sound of waves, and they slowly intensify through that scene, so, there's a way to read it both ways. It wants to be miraculous, either literally or figuratively, and I think you can watch it either way".

Stream The Whale on Paramount+

The Whale ending explained: what happens?

Brendan Fraser stars in The Whale.

NOTE: spoilers ahead for The Whale .

Audiences are now able to watch The Whale , the drama that is being billed as Brendan Fraser 's career-defining performance. The movie sees Fraser play an English teacher named Charlie who is suffering from severe obesity and is told if his unhealthy ways go unchecked it could ultimately kill him. But before that can happen, Charlie is determined to reconnect with his estranged daughter Ellie (Sadie Sink).

Daren Aronofsky directed The Whale , which in addition to Fraser and Sink stars Hong Chau ( The Menu ), Ty Simpkins ( Jurassic World ) and Samantha Morton ( The Serpent Queen ). 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.

Does Charlie die in The Whale?

The Whale wastes little time in showing just how poorly Charlie is doing wealth-wise. In the opening moments, he becomes short of breath and nearly passes out. 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.

When his friend and caretaker Liz (Chau) gets there, she tells him that his blood pressure is at a dangerous level and that if he does not go to the hospital he could die by the end of the week from heart failure. Despite this, Charlie is adamant that he will not go to the hospital, saying he can't afford it.

Instead, he attempts to reconnect with his daughter Ellie, who he left when she was just 8 years old when Charlie came out of the closet and began living with his new partner. 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.

Get the What to Watch Newsletter

The latest updates, reviews and unmissable series to watch and more!

They spend a few days getting to know each other, though Ellie rarely pulls back on her anger toward him and even gives him Ambien to knock him out. 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. Liz is frustrated that Charlie did not choose to use this money for his medical expenses.

After everyone leaves, Charlie has his dinner delivered, left as usual on his porch by the regular delivery guy. 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.

The next day, Liz confirms that Charlie's time is almost up. 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. It was an essay Ellie wrote when she was younger and that Charlie tells her is a good, honest piece of writing. He asks her to read it to him one last time now that he is dying, but she refuses and goes to leave. However, she stops at the door, tearful, and decides to read it.

As she does, Charlie struggles to his feet and, without any assistance, takes painful steps toward Ellie, doing what he wanted her and his students to do — be completely honest and reveal their true selves. As he reaches Ellie, he takes a final deep breath, looks up and everything fades to white as Charlie dies.

Is The Whale a true story?

The Whale is not based on a true story. However, it is based on a play of the same name by Samuel D. Hunter.

The play version of The Whale was first performed in 2012. 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.

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.

The Whale is now playing exclusively in movie theaters.

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. 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 . On the TV side he enjoys Only Murders in the Building, Yellowstone, The Boys, Game of Thrones and is always up for a Seinfeld rerun. Follow on Letterboxd .

Real Housewives alum Lisa Rinna stars in Mommy Meanest on Lifetime tonight

New on Netflix May 11-17: 5 new movies, shows and specials picked by our expert

Doctor Who season 14 episode 2 recap: Meeting Maestro

‘The Whale’ ending explained: what happened to Charlie?

Spoilers ahead

Brendan Fraser has swept awards season with his critically acclaimed performance in The Whale , which has a particularly emotional climax.

Directed by Darren Aronofsky, the film follows morbidly obese literature teacher Charlie (Fraser) as he attempts to reconnect with his estranged daughter Ellie (Sadie Sink), who is torn up after Charlie left her and her mother to start a relationship with a man years earlier.

READ MORE: Brendan Fraser: “I can’t get rid of the feeling that I’m a fraud”

Alongside Fraser and Sink, the film stars Hong Chau as Charlie’s best friend and nurse Liz, Ty Simpkins as Christian missionary Thomas and Samantha Morton as Ellie’s mother Mary.

What happens at the end of The Whale ?

As Charlie nears death in his home, Ellie confronts him after receiving a low grade for an essay he’d rewritten. Charlie explains that he replaced her rewritten essay with the Moby Dick essay Ellie had previously written when she was in eighth grade – deeming it the most honest piece of writing he’d ever read.

Charlie asks Ellie to read the Moby Dick essay to him one last time. She initially refuses and goes to leave, but stops at the door in tears and proceeds to read it. As she reads, Charlie stands up and attempts to walk towards her, which he had failed to do when Ellie first visited.

As Ellie completes the reading, Charlie starts to ascend to the heavens as he looks up towards a white light in the sky.

Speaking to Entertainment Weekly , Fraser gave his interpretation on the ending. “It’s important because it’s a Herculean effort that he makes to even get to his feet. For him to finally break through to her, humble himself before her, and let her know that he made a mistake and is sorry for it.

“While his life has not physically ended in that moment, I think that he knows he doesn’t need to live any longer, which is why he takes off his breather, he’s got her reading the essay, and he does take to his feet like three Olympic dead-lifters, takes his baby steps to his baby, and in that beautiful two-shot, a great white light appears, and they look skyward. Depending on your belief system, spiritually or otherwise, we see that Charlie – with a touch of magic realism – finally does fly.”

Related Topics
Brendan Fraser

The Whale (2022) Movie Explained: Ending & Themes Analyzed

The Whale (2022) Movie Explained: Ending & Themes Analyzed : Aronofsky’s latest tormenting creation has the innate sense of a murmuring, refractory observation than a purposive nudge towards contemplation. All we see of the magnificent Brandon Fraser’s agonized lead is all he sees of himself in every perversive moment of self-reflection. There is seldom a lot going on behind those bulging eyes of the morbidly obese man that isn’t intently limpid to us at all times. In every harrowing second of The Whale’s duration, Charlie’s self-devastating passage and the unrelenting need for mending the only thing that isn’t hopelessly wrecked yet, are synchronous with everything we are to grotesquely perceive as intrusive guests in his dreary home

The director’s auteurist extravagance stays steady on top of every bit of unsettling indulgences of Charlie that we are made to endure in a brazen exhibition. Yet, there’s always something that is invariably true of Darren Aronofsky’s almost scarring psychosomatic enterprises. The maximalist surveillance of his dejected leads doesn’t take anything away from the lingering dread we’re supposed to feel for their plight. Samuel D. Hunter’s thespian script denudes throbbing memories from the playwright’s life. The Whale emerges as a strikingly aggravating tale that will not be forgotten anytime soon, bearing aching experiences spasming with the induced pain that Charlie’s character has been sanctioned.

High On Films in collaboration with Avanté

The Whale (2022) Plot Summary and Movie Synopsis

There’s an unfaltering sense of guilt as the perspective turns from a laptop screen with the blithe faces of Charlie’s students to his face that he would rather hide with an excuse of a faulty camera. From his dimly lit room that reeks of a persistent state of misery, Charlie teaches an online course on writing. Existing in a morbidly obese physique, Charlie is practically immobile without a walking aid. This airlessly desolated life of his hauls the somber memories of Charlie severing ties with his wife Mary and granting his eight years old daughter Ellie the trauma of being abandoned by her father.

It’s been nine tumultuous years since Charlie has done the thing that he regrets every waking moment of his forlorn existence. The time in between has bedecked Charlie’s life with an elusive experience of love, the cost of which he mournfully pays to this day by eating his way to death.

The First Discernible Sign Of An Impending Death

A foreseen heart attack during a languid moment of self-pleasure places the intrusive Christian missionary Thomas in charge of ensuring Charlie’s survival. Being barred from calling 911, panicky Thomas follows the wheezing man’s request and mumbles the lines from an essay on Moby Dick. We aren’t yet allowed to know the identity of whoever wrote the essay. What we do know is that Charlie is soothed by the thoughts of originality protruding from the lines that found Melville’s novel’s long-drawn passages describing the whale to be tedious. This is the originality that Charlie implores his students to tap into in their essays.

A Slowburn Suicide

Thomas is relieved of his duty when Charlie’s sole caregiver Liz takes over. Ailed with a heart that is ready to be laid to eternal rest, Charlie has chosen a slow death for himself. Liz alerts him of his dangerously high blood pressure that needs immediate medical attention, but as she glumly cedes a bucket of fried chicken to Charlie, she is aware that he doesn’t wish to be saved.

The gnarly imagery of his unsightly eating disorder , however disturbing and true of the wounded man, isn’t all that Charlie is. A man warm with every word of comfort he speaks–steadfast with his demand of originality from his students–is also a man afflicted to his very core with an unfixable, suicidal addiction to food. It is something that he has chosen to muffle his agony with. It is also something that he is bound to punish himself with to the extent of an untimely death.

The Whale (2022) Themes Analyzed

Love in the absence of hope.

From the alarming get-go, Liz is shown to be gifted with the soothing attributes of patience and care. She is also a cutthroat truth-teller who doesn’t shy away from telling off Thomas, who waves his pathetic New Life pamphlets in the face of the miserable man who he wishes to save with the words of a forgiving God. Without an exhaustive understanding of their past, Liz’s repetitive submissions to Charlie’s self-destructive urge to stuff his face baffles our puzzled minds.

How achingly she cares about Charlie is also undeniably evident from her gasping manner of performing Heimlich on him as he chokes on the meatball sub she has just given him. Liz accepts the severe truth that she can’t save Charlie from the thorny path that he will soon be walking for the last time in his aggrieved life. She repeatedly reminds him that he will die soon and buries her urge to grab him by his shoulders and scream, “stop killing yourself.” In her scornful leer at the fundamentalist church’s flagbearer Thomas, we see a viciously wounded Liz who couldn’t save her brother.

Liz had stopped kneeling to God when she was 12. At the same time, her brother Alan fell even deeper into the insatiable, bottomless well of faith that commanded a complete rejection of his very reality. He was kept from coming back home from his missionary duties in South America by a fanatical Christian father who arranged his marriage with a girl from New Life. Even when he did come back, lived his truth, and commenced a life of love and warmth with his partner Charlie, his father turned his back on him. Being shunned from all that he had weaved his life around was agonizing for Alan to withstand.

Liz helplessly saw her brother wither away from a voluntary withdrawal from food and water. Nothing she said, not one of her pleadings, could leave a mark on the battered heart of the man who soon walked into the ocean and became one with eternal oblivion. Liz has been mourning that shattering loss with the only other man who the same relentless march of grief has trampled. She has seen the will to endure slip away rapidly from Charlie’s hands. She can’t be an effective roadblock in his self-destructive path. All Liz can do is love Charlie and be there for him, if only to be paralyzed in her inability to save him and watch him perish.

The Scars Of Abandonment

It would be immaterial for Charlie and us alike to hope that the daughter he left behind when she was a child would not strike down his very late attempt at reaching out. Ellie is understandably hateful towards a father who left her to be with his student, and it is eruptive hate that everything around her gets subjected to. It is only when Charlie can practically see the grim reaper standing in the corner of his room, waiting to smite him with his scythe, that he tries to do one thing right before his time comes.

Mary has kept him from Ellie. It was a decision that didn’t emanate from her anger towards her ex-husband, who left to be with a man. It was, as Mary herself admits, her way of keeping Charlie from seeing the “evil” that Ellie is growing up to be. But evil isn’t what Charlie sees in 17-year-old Ellie. Even when she ruthlessly wounds him with her brutish words, all Charlie sees in Ellie is a wonderful daughter he is lucky to have spawned.

Even when Ellie bullies him into standing on his crumbling knees to walk to her, making him fall over the coffee table and wheeze to keep his heart going, Charlie thinks of her as a girl luminous inside and out. He promises her the fortune he has been saving up and even offers to ghostwrite her school essays to keep her from falling behind. All that, with a side of gasping pleadings, to make her keep coming back, for it’s his last chance to ascertain that he didn’t completely fail as a person.

Ellie’s vicious demeanor surpasses that of the usual angst of a teenager. She wears a spiky facade to fend off the world and hurt it before it can hurt her. The spiteful Ellie doesn’t mind asking a dying man to die already and even slipping him a couple of sleeping pills, knowing fully well the risks it can pose. And yet, Ellie keeps coming back. Granted, she does so when she is promised a load of money and help with her school work. But the girl with a photographic memory lingers on just a bit too long for someone who claims to be disgusted by her father. She bears the stinging words of approval that she is receiving a bit too late in her life.

The Blemishes In Heavenly Forgiveness

Screenwriter Hunter has written Charlie with all the tenderness derived from his own life as a closeted gay man in the bleak halls of an Idaho Christian missionary school. The rudimentary teachings of a faltering notion of God’s love have been given diligent treatment by Aronofsky, who is known not to be coy about anarchic explorations of faith in his films. The amusing and often bewilderingly obnoxious medium of the same in The Whale is the character of Thomas.

From the moment he laid eyes on Charlie’s haphazard state, he had set his mind on saving the poor guy. Nothing, not even repeated scoffs from Liz, keeps the obstinate missionary from repeatedly showing up with “literature” from his church. Thomas has made his life all about securing a “God’s child’s” journey to heaven. Only when Ellie gets the feeble soldier of God high on the pot does he bares his questionable relationship with faith.

The self-proclaimed bringer of salvation had stolen some petty cash from his church in Iowa. And he has been on the run ever since from the church and the family that is disappointed in him. Disturbingly reflective of the false face of tolerance that the people of the church are known to put up, Thomas strives not to openly gag at the thought of Charlie sharing his bed with a man.

Not only does he abuse the privileges of having access to Charlie’s home and gets his hand on Alan’s Bible, but he proceeds to do the unthinkable and reads aloud a highlighted passage to open Charlie’s eyes to the light of God with a blingy “homosexuality is a sin” lecture. Thomas’ painfully persistent drive to rid Charlie of his “sin” and “save” his tainted soul from his “blasphemous” body is a crippling reminder of the criminally catastrophic religious doctrine and the questionable “love” of God.

The Whale (2022): Ending Explained

How does charlie make it up to ellie.

The Whale’s revelatory catalyst is Mary’s appearance in Charlie’s life. She isn’t necessarily fond of Charlie’s annoying tendency to put a positive spin on the direst of situations. At the same time, Mary misses how his irksome positivity is used to balance out her characteristic cynicism. When Liz shows up and is taken aback by the sudden sight of Mary, the latter doesn’t feel the need to cut back on her candor. Mary rightfully disapproves of Charlie’s decision to bequeath a massive sum to a disturbed teenager. This is also the first time Liz learns of the kind of money that Charlie has been saving. His only plaintive plea for the same is that the least he could do to make up for not being in Ellie’s life for nine years was to give her everything he possibly could.

Our minds swiftly turn back to the first scene when Charlie blames his barren bank account for not seeking medical help. We earnestly empathize with Liz, who is having a hard time coming to terms with the wretched truth that Charlie has been killing himself in more ways than one. Amongst the several absolutely irrefutable transgressions that Charlie has committed in his unforgiving life, being dishonest to Liz, the one friend who tirelessly deteriorated her physical and mental health to take care of him, must be an inexcusable one.

In The Whale, what we’ve essentially been taking a dreadful walkthrough is the last week in Charlie’s life. The closer he gets to acknowledging that his death, as foretold by Liz, is imminent, the less inclined Charlie is to hide himself from the world. When his crude message on the wall imploring students to write from their hearts gets him fired, he concludes his last session after finally showing his face to his students. His insistence on originality did strike a chord with a student who wrote, “I think I need to accept that my life isn’t going to be very exciting,” which also is an endearing remembrance of something one of Hunter’s students once wrote.

When Ellie comes back furious to have failed her test after submitting the essay that her father wrote, Charlie asks her to take a look at the essay. Looking through it, Ellie recognizes it as the essay on Moby Dick she wrote as a child. It is Ellie’s authentic words that Charlie holds on to in his worst moments, suffocated with agony.

What he believes of Ellie is what he, at the end of the day, wishes for her to be. Looking at her as she is about to walk out of the door, Charlie takes his last steps up from the couch. Lifting the behemoth burden of his many misdeeds, Charlie stands tall for his little daughter while completely aware that his heart will give out. He keeps muttering words of approval and affection that he wishes to inscribe in Ellie’s wounded heart. With tears in her eyes, Ellie looks at her father and watches his abused heart surrender.

Aronofsky’s peculiarly elysian delineation of Charlie’s ascension to heaven is the surreal stream of light that heaves a smiling Charlie from the earth. It wasn’t Thomas’ parochial God who could save him. It was only through making his amends to his daughter that Charlie could achieve redemption. And his heaven is the memory of the beach trip that he once took with Ellie. That was the last time he took a swim. That was also the last time he saw his daughter smile.

Dangerous Waters (2023) Ending Explained: How does Rose Save All the Young Girls in the Ship?

Echo 3 (Season 1), Episodes 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 & 6: Recap & Ending Explained – Does Tariq agree to help rescue Amber?

The Eyes of My Mother [2016] : A Feather in the Cap of Horror Genre

Nobadi [2019]: ‘TIFF’ Review – Questioning our notion of identity

Beyond The Hills [2012]

The Killing Vote (Season 1), Episode 7: Recap & Ending, Explained – Mu-chan’s Confrontation – Is Min-soo the Killer?

We earn a commission for products purchased through some links in this article.

The Whale writer didn't know about the ending change from the play

"I had no idea until I saw the rough cut."

In an interview with Digital Spy , the writer talked about the original ending and how the different ending was perfect for the film.

"The way the play ends is, Ellie has the last line of the essay: 'It made me feel glad for my…' And she's cut off by the stage direction – 'a sharp intake of breath'. 'Charlie looks up, and has a sharp intake of breath. End of play.' I actually didn't know about the beach scenes until I saw a rough cut. It was just kind of an incredible surprise," he said.

preview for The Whale | Official Trailer | (A24)

Related: The Whale ending explained

"I had no idea until I saw the rough cut, and I was so intensely moved by it. I was just like, 'Oh my God, that's perfect.' Because of the play, when there's that first flashback in the Mary scene, when you see him on the… Right? Is that the Mary scene?

"In the play, it's the one moment that I script as he’s giving that monologue about the Oregon coast that the sound of waves comes in. In the play, it’s heightened, and expands a little bit. I think Darren [Aronofsky, director] took that idea, and kind of ran with it, in this gorgeous way," he said.

The film’s star, Brendan Fraser, who scored a Best Actor Oscar nomination for his portrayal, recently opened up about how he wasn’t scared to take on the role.

Related: Brendan Fraser on not being scared of The Whale role

"I didn't feel scared. I felt – I don't know – energised. I felt enthusiastic. I felt like: 'That's going to be a good challenge. That's new. I haven't seen that before.' I felt really inspired," he explained.

"I also felt like it was something I wanted to do so bad, I could feel it in my bones. And the feeling of also having had that many times before in my life – in my career – and seeing that ship sail enough times," he added.

The Whale is out now in UK cinemas.

Best Entertainment and Tech Deals

Shop Sky deals across TV, broadband and mobile

Shop Google Pixel 7a phones

Coronation Street X Joanie - Gilroy Retro Newton And Ridley Sweatshirt

LEGO Disney and Pixar ‘Up’ House

LEGO 007 Aston Martin DB5 James Bond

Sign up for Apple TV+

Heartstopper Volume 5

Barbie The Movie doll

Sign up for Disney+

Ted Lasso x Nike: AFC Richmond home kit

The Woman in Me by Britney Spears

Jojo: Finally Home by Johannes Radebe

The Witcher wolf pendant

Barbenheimer - Barbie v Oppenheimer T-shirt

Barbenheimer T-shirt

Best PS5 deals - where to buy PS5 today?

Anker PowerCore Essential 20,000 PD Power Bank

Shivani Dubey is a freelance writer covering entertainment, culture, social trends and lifestyle. She has been published in Vice, Vogue India, Refinery29, Mashable, i-D, Little White Lies, HuffPost and The Daily Beast among other titles. You can find her on Twitter .

Freelance film & TV writer, Digital Spy Critic and writer Jo Berry has been writing about TV and movies since she began her career at Time Out aged 18. A regular on BBC Radio, Jo has written for titles including Empire, Maxim, Radio Times , OK! , The Guardian and Grazia , is the author of books including Chick Flicks and The Parents’ Guide to Kids’ Movies .

She is also the editor of website Movies4Kids . In her career, Jo has interviewed well-known names including Beyonce, Steven Spielberg, Tom Hanks, Kiefer Sutherland, Tom Cruise and all the Avengers, spent many an hour crushed in the press areas of award show red carpets. Jo is also a self-proclaimed expert on Outlander and Brassic , and completely agrees that Die Hard is a Christmas movie .

.css-15yqwdi:before{top:0;width:100%;height:0.25rem;content:'';position:absolute;background-image:linear-gradient(to right,#51B3E0,#51B3E0 2.5rem,#E5ADAE 2.5rem,#E5ADAE 5rem,#E5E54F 5rem,#E5E54F 7.5rem,black 7.5rem,black);} Movies

phoebe waller bridge , 95th annual academy awards, oscars

B-movie director Roger Corman dies

Sebastian Stan and Lily James reunite for new film

anya taylor joy as furiosa, tom burke as praetorian jack and chris hemsworth as dementus, furiosa a mad max saga

Anya Taylor-Joy found Furiosa "very traumatising"

Daniel Craig's best Bond movie is now on ITVX

ryan reynolds and director john krasinski on the set of paramount pictures if

IF director addresses Pixar similarities

First reactions for Krasinski and Reynolds film IF

Peaky Blinders' Sam Claflin finds next lead role

New 28 Years Later movie lands release date

hannah waddingham and ryan gosling in the fall guy

The Fall Guy writer on Amber Heard joke backlash

zendaya sitting back with her hands on her head in challengers movie

How to get Zendaya's Challengers on DVD

manuel garciarulfo, the lincoln lawyer, season 2

Jurassic World 4 casts Netflix star in lead role

The Ending Of The Whale Explained

Darren Aronofsky , the director of "Black Swan" and "Requiem for a Dream," returns with "The Whale," a new film that sees actor Brendan Fraser make the comeback performance of a lifetime in an emotional story of compassion. The film, based on the 2012 play of the same name , follows Charlie (Fraser), a reclusive 600-pound man looking to reconnect with his distant daughter, Ellie (Sadie Sink), while dealing with a resurgence of past mistakes. As Charlie, Fraser shows a range of emotions not seen in his past performances and leads a focused tale full of triumph and heartache.

From the realization of his worsening health to the constant conflicts stemming from Charlie's past mistakes bleeding into the present, "The Whale" has a strong emotional pull that carries through to its tear-jerking ending. There's nothing as cathartic as watching "The Whale's" final act, which sees Charlie confronting himself and making better efforts to reconnect with Ellie. There are also unexpected revelations, burning themes, and closing arcs that all come so suddenly that the impact of some things could've slipped by. Looper is here to clear things up and dissect everything that happened during "The Whale's" finale

The truth behind Thomas' visits

When we first meet Thomas (Ty Simpkins), we learn that he's a missionary who goes door to door spreading the word of the cult-like religious group he's a part of that believes the world is ending. While Charlie can accept him since he does help him at the start of the film, his nurse and friend, Liz (Hong Chau), outwardly criticizes Thomas, as both she and Charlie have a bad past with his group. However, Ellie is much more inquisitive about Thomas and is eventually able to get him to open up about himself, which leads to quite a revelation.

It turns out that Thomas actually isn't a part of that group at all. He's just a runaway who left his home because of his frustration with the religious practices of his church and stole money from them to finance his trip. This reveal makes sense since he constantly said he was "new" to the group and didn't know the name of Liz's father, who leads the group. This also adds to Thomas' belief that he's ordained by God to help Charlie since he became frustrated by his old church's ability to spread its word and sees Charlie as an opportunity for self-fulfillment. It's an unexpected reveal that makes Thomas less of an innocent follower.

Ellie's picture collection

From her first appearance, it's tough to get a read on Ellie because of how closed off she is, and you can't help but question her real intentions. One thing that stands out as strange is how she takes pictures of Charlie and Thomas at different points in the film. Ellie takes pictures of Charlie struggling to use his walker and Thomas when he's smoking weed. Although it just seems like nothing at first, Ellie uses these photos for disturbing projects.

Ellie uses the photo she takes of Charlie to ridicule him on social media, making fun of his weight and telling him to burn in hell. As for Thomas, she sends the photos of him smoking to his family after hearing his story, and it ultimately results in him reconnecting with his family. Although Ellie's photography might seem harmless at first, it has big implications for those in the photos, and it doesn't always yield positive results.

The loss of Charlie's lover

After the death of his lover, Alan, Charlie develops an eating disorder that leads him to become incredibly overweight and suffer dangerous health issues. Although Charlie is generally unwilling to talk about Alan's death, Liz finds a moment to talk to Thomas about it. Alan's death also impacted her because he was her brother. According to Liz, her father, who leads the religious group that Thomas is supposedly a part of, was very hard on Alan after he came back from a mission and decided to not engage in the arranged marriage that he set up for him.

Instead, Alan decided to pursue a relationship with Charlie, leading to his father kicking him out of the group and the family. However, Alan still couldn't shake the impact of his upbringing and spiraled into a bout of depression that ended in him taking his own life. This would have a devastating effect on both Charlie and Liz and explains why they're so close. Liz is shown to be protective of Charlie from the start, and the story of Alan's death establishes why. That Charlie, too, could soon die is likely a gut-wrenching feeling for Liz.

If you need help with an eating disorder or know someone who is, help is available. Visit the National Eating Disorders Association website or contact NEDA's Live Helpline at 1-800-931-2237. You can also receive 24/7 Crisis Support via text (send NEDA to 741-741).

If you or anyone you know is having suicidal thoughts, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline by dialing 988 or by callin g 1 -800-273-TALK (8255).

Charlie's massive money

To get Ellie to spend more time with him, Charlie makes an offer that he'll pay her for the time she spends with him. It's a hefty amount. His offer of around $120,000 is unsurprisingly too good for Ellie to pass up, and it remains a big motivator for her throughout the film — along with Charlie rewriting her essays to help her graduate from school. However, given his conversations with Liz about not being able to afford better living conditions or a hospital visit, it's tough to believe that he has that money.

In a conversation with Mary (Samantha Morton), it is revealed that Charlie does have that money, and it leads to some other realizations and conflicts. Liz is frustrated by Charlie since he could've used that money to help himself and get the medical assistance he needs. Liz's belief that Charlie was broke played a role in some of the sacrifices she's made for him, leaving her feeling like she's been taken advantage of. However, Charlie would've likely never given up any of the money anyway since he always planned for Ellie to have it all.

A tumultuous reunion

It's no secret that Charlie's marriage to his ex-wife, Mary, ended in shambles. He left her and Ellie to pursue a relationship with Alan, leading Mary to cut ties with him completely. However, when Mary arrives at Charlie's after learning that Ellie is there, we get a clearer glimpse into their fractured relationship and Mary as a character. In their time alone for the first time in a long time, we see these two more open and honest than ever before, and it's a strong example of their complicated relationship.

Although the two end up fighting over what happened between them, Mary is shown to be much more compassionate than previously suggested. She not only shows sorrow for Charlie for his current condition but even tells him a story about helping Alan before he died. This doesn't mend their relationship, and Mary still leaves in a fury over these resurfaced feelings, yet this scene shows the genuine care that remains in their relationship and how Charlie's decision to leave still causes ripples in their family.

A secret room

About halfway through "The Whale," Charlie tries to retrieve a key sitting atop a closed door – only for it to fall into a place he can't reach. Luckily, he gets Thomas to grab the key for him, and he opens a room that looks untouched and pristine compared to the rest of his house. At first, it's tough to figure out what this spare bedroom exactly is, but it eventually becomes pretty clear.

Even before Thomas grabs a Bible with Alan's name on it from the room, it's obvious that this room is Charlie and Alan's old bedroom. After Alan's death, Charlie was unable to enter the room again and has never let anyone inside. He probably only unlocked it recently because Alan has been brought up in conversation again. He now sees it as solace as he heads towards a tragic end. There are no flashbacks that give us a real look at Charlie and Alan's relationship, but seeing Charlie's face when he looks into the room shows the real love he has for him still.

Charlie's final hope

Throughout "The Whale," Charlie is shown to be incredibly desperate in wanting to reconnect with Ellie. He's not only willing to pay a bunch of money to get her to keep him company but even offers to rewrite her essays to help her graduate. Even when Ellie is immensely cold towards Charlie, he still yearns for her love, and that makes you wonder what Charlie exactly wants from reconnecting with her.

However, when talking with Mary, Charlie opens up about his desire to reconnect with his daughter, saying that he simply wants her to have the best life possible to create a sense of redemption within himself. He simply sees helping Ellie as the last thing he can do before dying to leave things on a better note and feel like he did something right. It's the wish that any parent would have for their child, and Charlie doesn't want Ellie to feel like she can't accomplish things because of how their family has fractured.

Charlie's sense of positivity

Even when the worst things are happening to him, Charlie generally has a positive outlook on life and those around him. When Thomas is chastised by Liz or Ellie does something that even her mother views as evil, Charlie always shows compassion to those around him. For Charlie, though, this positivity is both a gift and a curse. While it is nice that he tries to find the good in things, it can lead to him ignoring real problems in his life and not being able to confront things.

For instance, while it's nice that he makes an effort to remind Ellie that he thinks she's amazing, it doesn't heal the hurt she's suffered from their estrangement. This overt sense of positivity is also what leads to Charlie losing his faith and desiring to see only harsh truths that make "The Whale's" final act really tear at your heart. However, even when Charlie hits his lowest point, he is able to find the good in things again, leading to an emotional final sequence between him and Ellie. Charlie's journey throughout "The Whale" is about finding and understanding the truth about yourself without losing that sense of compassion that makes us care for one another as well as ourselves.

A final revelation

As shown in the opening shots, Charlie keeps his webcam off when talking to his class because he doesn't want them to see what he looks like. However, after sending them an assignment that asks them to simply be honest, Charlie makes the bold choice to turn his camera on for the first time. With the assignment (or more so the wording of it) getting Charlie fired from his position and his students' submissions inspiring him, he decides to show them who their professor really is.

In most other movies, this would be played like a truly inspirational moment. Yet, with Darren Aronofsky helming, it feels like a dark slice of reality, as some of Charlie's students can be seen reacting in shock around his square in the chatroom. It's a gut-wrenching affirmation of the truth that Charlie has been trying to hide from for quite some time, and the way it ends, with him throwing his laptop across the room, is legitimately painful. It's a moment you knew was coming, but still feels like a brutal punch to the gut.

The essay's author

When we're first introduced to Thomas, as he helps Charlie during a painful incident of heart failure, we also learn about an essay on "Moby Dick" that Charlie loves. For most of the film, we're left unsure who the author of this essay is. We just know that it acts as sort of a calming mantra for Charlie that reminds him of something he loves. In the final moments of "The Whale," we discover that Ellie is the author of the essay and that it's been a pivotal part of Charlie's connection to her.

Any time Charlie is in pain or on the verge of death, he either repeats part of the essay to himself or gets someone to read it to him. With the knowledge that Ellie is the author, hearing her essay acts as a reminder for Charlie of his final wish to make sure that she is in a good place before dies. It's a reveal that kicks off a deeply emotional final sequence between Charlie and Ellie that is undoubtedly one of the most emotionally charged moments in the film.

Charlie and Ellie's final reckoning

The final moments of "The Whale" are full of rich emotion – largely because of the final reckoning that Charlie and Ellie have before Charlie succumbs to his poor health. Although it seems like Ellie will rush out the door before she and her father can have one last moment together, she stops and fulfills Charlie's request to hear her read her essay. This moment also leads to Charlie getting up to walk towards Ellie, something she requests he does earlier in the film. It's a climactic, full-circle moment bursting with emotion.

There's something truly powerful about watching Charlie find the strength to get up and walk on his own in those final moments. However, this last act of strength doesn't mean that Charlie avoids death, as he's drawn up into a heavenly light. Darren Aronofsky ends the film on a fantastical vision of Charlie on the beach with Mary and Ellie. The choice to end the film on this flashback to a beloved memory likely signifies Charlie is at peace with how he left things and acts as a harmonious and fulfilling ending to his journey. Although Charlie and Ellie's relationship has been complicated, it's legitimately compelling to watch them come together in this final moment.

Is this the start of Brendan Fraser's comeback?

Although Brendan Fraser was once a notable mainstream star leading franchises like "The Mummy," it's no secret that his career has taken a downturn as he's dealt with personal issues and opened up more about being sexually assaulted . Recently, Fraser has started to work more in front of the camera again with his role as Cliff Steele/Robotman in "Doom Patrol" and appearances in films such as "No Sudden Move" and "Line of Descent." He was even set to appear in DC's now-canceled "Batgirl" movie as the villain Firefly. With all the acclaim he's receiving for his performance in "The Whale," does this role signal a true comeback for Fraser? Absolutely.

Fraser is set to be one of this year's top awards contenders and has already received a best actor nomination at the upcoming Golden Globes with many more likely to come. Ever since he got some big social media buzz for the lengthy standing ovation he received at "The Whale's" premiere at the Venice Film Festival, it seems that audiences have rallied around him. Fraser's performance in "The Whale" and the acclaim he continues to receive for it could easily lead up to a strong resurgence for the actor that fans would be thrilled to see. Who knows? Maybe "The Mummy" franchise could return with him.

If you or anyone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, help is available. Visit the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network website or contact RAINN's National Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).

an image, when javascript is unavailable

site categories

Andrew mccarthy’s brat pack documentary ‘brats’ sets hulu premiere date, breaking news.

‘The Whale’: Read The Screenplay For The Play-Turned-Film That Made Brendan Fraser An Awards-Season Frontrunner

By Patrick Hipes

Patrick Hipes

Executive Managing Editor

Charlotte Hong's Debut Feature 'Tropical Rain, Death Scented Kiss' Wraps Production

2024-25 Awards Season Calendar - Dates For Oscars, Tonys, Guilds, BAFTAs, Spirits & More

Fraser and Sink star in the movie alongside Hong Chau, who plays Charlie’s caregiver. The cast also includes Ty Simpkins and Samantha Morton.

Fraser has been Oscar-buzzed since the beginning of the season, and has already scored Critics Choice and Golden Globe Best Actor nominations among others. Aronofsky told the Deadline Studio in Toronto where the film was in the lineup that he spent 10 years searching for the actor to play Charlie, describing the process as the “biggest hurdle” to making the film.

The Whale hit theaters in six theaters in Los Angeles and New York on December 9 and scored 2022’s best per-theater average. It later expanded, with its box office cume now sitting at $8.58 million.

Click to read Hunter’s script below:

Must Read Stories

‘road house’ round 2 in works with jake gyllenhaal set to return.

Nicolas Cage’s ‘Noir’ Gets Series Order; ‘Mr. And Mrs. Smith’, ‘The Boys’ Renewed

Jury prez gerwig on france’s #metoo wave; ‘megalopolis’ trailer; more, sony pictures’ full-year profits down; prosieben recovery continues.

Subscribe to Deadline Breaking News Alerts and keep your inbox happy.

Review: Does Brendan Fraser give a great performance in ‘The Whale’? It’s complicated.

A man wearing a button up shirt sits in a dark room

Show more sharing options
Copy Link URL Copied!

When the camera looks at Brendan Fraser in “The Whale,” what does it see? It sees a man named Charlie who weighs 600 pounds and is slowly expiring from congestive heart failure in a drab Idaho apartment. It also sees a familiar Hollywood face attached to a most unfamiliar body, enacting the kind of dramatic, prosthetically enabled transformation the movie industry likes to slobber over.

You might find these two images to be of a piece — an intuitive fusion of performer and role that reaches for, and sometimes achieves, a state of transcendent emotion. Or you may find them grotesquely at odds: the character whose every groan, wheeze and choking fit means to inspire both empathy and revulsion, and the actor whose sweaty dramatic exertions are calculated to elicit praise and applause.

Let’s render that praise where it’s due. There is more to Fraser’s performance than his exertions, just as there is more to Charlie than the corporeal shock value that the movie frontloads him with: The opening scenes find him frenziedly masturbating to gay pornography on his couch, then doubling over with searing chest pains. It’s a lot for an actor to come down from, but in a grueling chamber piece that tends to wield a dramaturgical cudgel, Fraser attempts, and mostly achieves, a symphony of surprising grace notes. He shows us Charlie’s suffering, but also his sweetness; his grief, but also his good humor.

For your safety

The Times is committed to reviewing theatrical film releases during the COVID-19 pandemic . Because moviegoing carries risks during this time, we remind readers to follow health and safety guidelines as outlined by the CDC and local health officials .

He laughs easily, though also with great difficulty. He can mope and rant, but caught at the right moment, he’s an out-and-out charmer, a patient listener, a good storyteller. He teaches an online college writing class, hiding his obese frame from his students (his webcam’s broken, he tells them), but giving full voice to his love for words, his keen understanding of the pleasures and potential manipulations of language. His favorite piece of writing is an essay on Moby-Dick — the actual whale of the title — that he often reads or demands that someone read to him, a device whose ludicrous backstory Fraser just about makes convincing. And after a while, as doors slam, tension mounts and Rob Simonsen’s score broods and surges, you might feel a curious tingle of recognition. Charlie, after all, is a character in a Darren Aronofsky movie, which means he’s destined for a crucible of suffering that, however emotional and spiritual in nature, exacts its most grievous torments in the flesh.

That’s not to suggest that he is kin to the tortured performers of “The Wrestler” and “Black Swan,” who pushed their athleticism to brutish extremes, or the strung-out kids from “Requiem for a Dream,” even if Charlie knows the pain of a different kind of addiction. The differences extend beyond the fact that Charlie is mostly immobilized, only occasionally rising from his couch to stumble, with a walker, toward the fridge or the bathroom. (At times the camera, wielded by Aronofsky’s regular collaborator Matthew Libatique, almost seems to mock Charlie, moving around him with an ease and agility that he cannot muster.) There’s also the fact that, in contrast with most Aronofsky characters, Charlie is born of another writer’s imagination: Like more than a few studies in confinement, “The Whale” is based on a play, this one written and adapted for the screen by Samuel D. Hunter.

But while we may be confined with Charlie, we are not alone with him. “The Whale,” straining to both honor and break free of its source material, unfolds over a few consecutive days, during which Charlie receives a series of visitors. Their regular appearances at once modulate the drama and expose its artificiality, none more obviously than Thomas (Ty Simpkins), an earnest young Christian missionary who turns up at Charlie’s door at a seemingly opportune moment. He’s there to save this man’s soul, and also to facilitate a load of exposition concerning Charlie’s late partner, Alan, whose untimely death hastened his own downward spiral. Thomas is also there to annoy Charlie’s tough-loving best friend, Liz (a wonderful Hong Chau), a nurse who stops by daily to bring him food, check his vitals and nag him to take better care of himself. She knows that Charlie doesn’t need religion; he needs to go to the hospital.

But Charlie refuses, citing a lack of health insurance and the general hopelessness of his cause. Which doesn’t mean he has nothing to live for, judging by his concerted recent renewal of ties with his 17-year-old daughter, Ellie (Sadie Sink). Almost nine years ago, Charlie abandoned Ellie and her mother, Mary (a briefly seen Samantha Morton), to be with Alan. The teenager who now sits before him is more than a resentful child; she’s the personification of spite, vindictive and verbally abusive. Sink’s emotional ferocity is impressive, but Ellie, as written, amounts to one angry note struck with relentless, ultimately misapplied force. As a character, she’s about as subtle as the ultra-dim lighting — not just realistically dim but fastidiously, oppressively dim — that suffuses Charlie’s apartment, an all-too-literal embodiment of his inner darkness.

“You’d be disgusting even if you weren’t this fat,” Ellie snarls at the man she refuses to acknowledge as her father. And her ugly words find a painful echo in the question that Charlie at one point asks Thomas: “Do you find me disgusting?” It’s a question the camera seems to foist in turn upon the viewer, most emphatically when it shows us Charlie, in a miserable fury, devouring and vomiting up an entire pizza. It’s unsurprisingly unpleasant to watch, not least because Aronofsky seems to be shoving the camera in Charlie’s face with one hand while wagging his finger at us with the other. His question might prompt your own: Is this raw, unvarnished scrutiny of a difficult subject tilting into exaggeration, even exploitation? If we’re disgusted by what Aronofsky shows us, is that our fault or his?

Or is it Fraser’s? I’m reluctant to suggest it, and not just because I’m as fond as anyone of an appealing, long-underappreciated actor returning to prominence, after several years’ absence, in the industry that made, broke and allegedly abused him . But I’m also reluctant to fall into the default critical pattern of lauding an actor for what works about a movie or a performance and blaming a filmmaker for everything that doesn’t, especially since it just feels a little too easy. Movie performances are often more collaborative achievements than we (or actors themselves) care to admit, and a performance as reliant on external wizardry as Fraser’s — on the strange, seamless alchemy that welds an actor’s expressive tools to an array of digital and prosthetic tricks — doesn’t come into being without a director’s firm hand at the wheel. What’s good and bad about the performance is surely the responsibility of actor and director both.

The movie’s crudest moments, the ones in which Charlie’s body is treated as not just a matter-of-fact physical reality but a dare-you-to-look-away spectacle, have already raised legitimate questions and accusations of fatphobia — a debate that tends to arise whenever a Hollywood actor packs on some artificial pounds. Often this kind of transformation is done for comically villainous effect, whether it’s Colin Farrell’s Penguin in “The Batman” or Emma Thompson’s imposingly evil Miss Trunchbull in “Roald Dahl’s Matilda the Musical.” But do these prosthetic encumbrances feel more or less cheap when applied to someone like Charlie, who isn’t a violent caricature but a sympathetically drawn human being? Is the grindingly self-conscious realism of a movie like “The Whale” a more empathetic gesture or a crueler, uglier one?

To return to the question at the outset: When the camera looks at Brendan Fraser in “The Whale,” what does it see? I think it sees a good actor giving a well-meaning, unevenly directed and often touching performance in a movie that strives to wrest something raw and truthful from a story that’s all bald contrivances, technological as well as melodramatic. But if “The Whale” is a weird conflation of the unflinchingly honest and the unbearably phony, Charlie’s own sincerity is undeniable: “Tell me the truth,” he says and reiterates on multiple occasions, whether he’s urging his students to write from the gut or engaging Thomas in a genial theological debate. As he demonstrated in his recent “Noah” and “mother!,” Aronofsky is a skeptic who’s more willing than most to meet God halfway.

And God, in this movie, surely has a lot to answer for: hypocrisy, homophobia, depression and suicidal ideation, for starters. But if we can think of God as synonymous with goodness, and I think we can, then he also seems to turn up more often than expected — not just when Thomas comes thumping at the door with a Bible in hand, but also whenever Liz returns. Hong, not for the first time proving herself a movie’s secret weapon, gives perhaps “The Whale’s” finest, least forced performance. Whether she’s scolding Charlie, passing him a meatball sub or snuggling next to him on the couch, Liz lays bare her uncertainty: Should she be trying to save her friend or making his last days as joyous as she can? It’s OK that she doesn’t know. It’s enough that she sees him and loves him — and more fully, ultimately, than the movie around him can manage.

‘The Whale’

Rated: R, for language, some drug use and sexual content Running time: 1 hour, 57 minutes Playing: Starts Dec. 9 at AMC Burbank 16; AMC Burbank Town Center 6; AMC the Grove 14, Los Angeles; AMC Century City 15

Review: In ‘The Beast,’ two lovers can’t connect — and maybe AI is to blame

April 4, 2024

Portrait illustration of Jeffrey Wright and Paul Giamatti for the Envelope Magazine.

Lead actor race is practically a faculty

Feb. 13, 2024

AMERICA FERRERA as Gloria in Warner Bros. Pictures' "BARBIE," a Warner Bros. Pictures release.

How these meaty speeches drive home the point in this season’s awards films

Feb. 12, 2024

Only good movies

Get the Indie Focus newsletter, Mark Olsen's weekly guide to the world of cinema.

You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.

Justin Chang was a film critic for the Los Angeles Times from 2016 to 2024. He won the 2024 Pulitzer Prize in criticism for work published in 2023. Chang is the author of the book “FilmCraft: Editing” and serves as chair of the National Society of Film Critics and secretary of the Los Angeles Film Critics Assn.

More From the Los Angeles Times

Jerry Seinfeld in a blue robe and graduation cap standing behind a wooden podium that says "Duke"

Entertainment & Arts

What’s the deal with Jerry Seinfeld? His Duke University address sparks student walkout

May 13, 2024

On a small set in Venice, legendary horrormeister Roger Corman films one of dozens of introductions he was to do into the night for an AMC horror series to run in October.

Roger Corman, independent cinema pioneer and king of B movies, dead at 98

May 11, 2024

Company Town

Shari Redstone was poised to make Paramount a Hollywood comeback story. What happened?

A rockstar and his muse are approached by the press.

Review: ‘Catching Fire: The Story of Anita Pallenberg’ supplies belated respect for a rock muse

May 10, 2024

Series Recaps
Film Artist
Screen Writing

Latest articles

‘demon slayer’ season 4 episode 1 recap and spoilers, lydia beaufort in ‘maxton hall’ explained: is lydia pregnant with sutton’s child, ‘mars express’ ending explained & movie recap: is aline dead, ‘the great indian kapil show’ episode 7 review: the amazing cast of heeramandi could not save the episode, ruby bell in ‘maxton hall’ explained: what happens to ruby in the end, proximus caesar in ‘kingdom of the planet of the apes’ explained: is proximus dead, james beaufort in ‘maxton hall’ explained: how do james and ruby fall in love.

Masonry of Angry Filmmakers

Privacy Policy
Write For Us

To get email updates from Film Fugitives

Search Please fill out this field.
Newsletters
Sweepstakes

Read The Whale 's moving script page that allowed Brendan Fraser to build the 'spine' of the film

See EW's exclusive screenplay excerpt from Samuel D. Hunter's new drama that features an emotional exchange between Fraser and Hong Chau.

Brendan Fraser 's physical and emotional transformation into The Whale 's Charlie, a reclusive professor spending his final days patching up his relationship with his estranged daughter, has been hailed as one of the most moving performances of 2022. But to get there, he leaned intensely on the film's heart: writer Samuel D. Hunter's script , a self-adaptation of his 2012 stage play of the same name, loosely inspired by his real-life experience as a gay man struggling with identity and religion in small-town Idaho.

Below, Hunter exclusively breaks down his own words, offering insight into a key scene from director Darren Aronofsky's drama that sets the film's plot in motion, as Liz ( Hong Chau ) — Charlie's longtime friend and caregiver — attempts to dissuade him from burdening his mind (and body) with the stress of reconnecting with the daughter he abandoned eight years prior.

Friendly fire

Liz knows Charlie is dying, and her fierce protective instincts, Hunter says, are "demonstrating love for him" while he deals with "invasive forces" like Ellie ( Sadie Sink ), the daughter he abandoned, coming back into his life.

Inspired improv

Fraser played Charlie with such an "extraordinary amount of love" that Hunter wrote new dialogue on set, based on whatever emotions "Brendan was accessing [that day]."

Daddy issues

Hunter leans into the characters' "contradictions," from Liz harping on Charlie's health, yet providing food for him to binge on, to Charlie wanting to step up as a dad, but only at the end of his life.

Extra credit

Inspired by Hunter's teaching experience at Rutgers, Charlie shows love via instruction, helping a hardened Ellie express herself on paper. Hunter calls Charlie's offer "the spine of the entire film."

The Whale is now playing in limited theatrical release via A24, and opens nationwide on Dec. 21. Watch EW's full Awardist interview with Fraser above.

Check EW's The Awardist , featuring exclusive interviews, analysis, and our podcast diving into all the highlights from the year's best in movies.

Scientists document remarkable sperm whale 'phonetic alphabet'

The various species of whales inhabiting Earth’s oceans employ different types of vocalizations to communicate. Sperm whales, the largest of the toothed whales , communicate using bursts of clicking noises — called codas — sounding a bit like Morse code.

A new analysis of years of vocalizations by sperm whales in the eastern Caribbean has found that their system of communication is more sophisticated than previously known, exhibiting a complex internal structure replete with a “phonetic alphabet.” The researchers identified similarities to aspects of other animal communication systems — and even human language.

Like all marine mammals, sperm whales are very social animals , with their calls an integral part of this. The new study has provided a fuller understanding of how these whales communicate.

“The research shows that the expressivity of sperm whale calls is much larger than previously thought,” said Pratyusha Sharma, a Massachusetts Institute of Technology doctoral student in robotics and machine learning and lead author of the study published on Tuesday in the journal Nature Communications .

“We do not know yet what they are saying. We are studying the calls in their behavioral contexts next to understand what sperm whales might be communicating about,” said Sharma.

Sperm whales, which can reach about 60 feet (18 meters) long, have the largest brain of any animal. They are deep divers, feeding on giant squid and other prey.

The researchers are part of the Project CETI (Cetacean Translation Initiative) Machine Learning Team. Using traditional statistical analysis and artificial intelligence, they examined calls made by about 60 whales recorded by the Dominica Sperm Whale Project, a research program that has assembled a large dataset on the species.

“Why are they exchanging these codas? What information might they be sharing?” asked study co-author Shane Gero, Project CETI’s lead biologist and Dominica Sperm Whale Project founder, also affiliated with Carleton University in Canada.

“I think it’s likely that they use codas to coordinate as a family, organize babysitting, foraging and defense,” Gero said.

Variations in the number, rhythm and tempo of the clicks produced different types of codas, the researchers found. The whales, among other things, altered the duration of the codas and sometimes added an extra click at the end, like a suffix in human language.

“All of these different codas that we see are actually built by combining a comparatively simple set of smaller pieces,” said study co-author Jacob Andreas, an MIT computer science professor and Project CETI member.

People combine sounds — often corresponding to letters of the alphabet — to produce words that carry meaning, then produce sequences of words to create sentences to convey more complex meanings.

For people, Sharma said, “There are two levels of combination.” The lower level is sounds to words. The higher level is words to sentences.

Sperm whales, Sharma said, also use a two-level combination of features to form codas, and codas are then sequenced together as the whales communicate. The lower level has similarities to letters in an alphabet, Sharma said.

“Every communication system is tailored to the environment and animal society in which it has evolved,” Sharma added.

The communication system used by sperm whales differs, for example, from the “songs” of humpback whales — and, for that matter, from the whistles, chirps, croaks and assorted other vocalizations by various animals.

“Human language is unique in many ways, yes,” Gero said. “But I suspect we will find many patterns, structures and aspects thought to be unique to humans in other species, including whales, as science progresses — and perhaps also features and aspects of animal communications which humans do not possess.”

If scientists can decipher the meaning of what the sperm whales are “saying,” should people try to communicate with them?

“I think there’s a lot more research that we have to do before we know whether it’s a good idea to try to communicate with them, or really even to have a sense of whether that will be possible,” Andreas said.

“At the same time, I’m optimistic that we’re going to be able to learn a lot more about what information is actually encoded in these vocalizations that we’re listening to, what sort of information is contained in these clicks and these codas, as we start to understand the behavioral context in which this occurs,” Andreas added.

Share full article

Four sperm whales swim together just below the water’s surface.

Scientists Find an ‘Alphabet’ in Whale Songs

Sperm whales rattle off pulses of clicks while swimming together, raising the possibility that they’re communicating in a complex language.

Credit... Amanda Cotton

Supported by

By Carl Zimmer

May 7, 2024

Ever since the discovery of whale songs almost 60 years ago, scientists have been trying to decipher their lyrics. Are the animals producing complex messages akin to human language ? Or sharing simpler pieces of information, like dancing bees do? Or are they communicating something else we don’t yet understand?

In 2020, a team of marine biologists and computer scientists joined forces to analyze the click-clacking songs of sperm whales, the gray, block-shaped leviathans that swim in most of the world’s oceans. On Tuesday, the scientists reported that the whales use a much richer set of sounds than previously known, which they called a “sperm whale phonetic alphabet.”

People have a pho-ne-tic alphabet too, which we use to produce a practically infinite supply of words. But Shane Gero, a marine biologist at Carleton University in Ottawa and an author of the study, said it’s unclear whether sperm whales similarly turn their phonetic sounds into a language.

“The fundamental similarities that we do find are really fascinating,” Dr. Gero said. “It’s totally changed the way we have to do work going forward.”

Since 2005, Dr. Gero and his colleagues have followed a clan of 400 sperm whales around Dominica, an island nation in the eastern Caribbean, eavesdropping on the whales with underwater microphones and tagging some of the animals with sensors.

Three sperm whales swim together just below the water’s surface.

Sperm whales don’t produce the eerie melodies sung by humpback whales, which became a sensation in the 1960s. Instead, they rattle off clicks that sound like a cross between Morse code and a creaking door. Sperm whales typically produce pulses of between three and 40 clicks, known as codas. They usually sing these codas while swimming together, raising the possibility that they’re communicating with one another.

Over the years, Dr. Gero and his colleagues have reviewed thousands of hours of recordings of the undersea noise. It turns out that sperm whale codas fall into distinct types.

One type, for example, called “1+1+3,” consists of two clicks separated by a pause, followed by three clicks in quick succession.

With backing from philanthropists, Dr. Gero and his colleagues started “Project CETI,” (for “Cetacean Translation Initiative”), to investigate whether artificial intelligence and other computing advances could decode whale songs. (The name is a play on SETI , the famous effort to search for extraterrestrial life; whales are also known as cetaceans.)

As part of the project, Pratyusha Sharma, a computer science graduate student at M.I.T., gave the data from Dominica a fresh look. But she was frustrated by the way biologists had visualized it.

On a computer screen, the codas appeared as a series of dots along a horizontal line, each dot representing a click. Ms. Sharma found it hard to compare codas, especially when two or more whales were singing over each other. So she instead plotted each coda’s clicks as dots on a vertical line, and then placed codas along a horizontal line based on when each began.

Using the new layout, Ms. Sharma saw something new. When a sperm whale repeated a coda, it sometimes stretched out the time between the clicks and then gradually tightened it up. Ms. Sharma and her colleagues called this phenomenon “rubato,” a musical term for speeding up a tempo and then slowing it down.

Dr. Gero was startled that Ms. Sharma could see something in sperm whale songs that he and his colleagues had missed for years. “It was a way we hadn’t looked at it,” he said.

Codas are so quick that the human ear can miss a rubato. But the researchers found the pattern in thousands of recorded codas.

The researchers believe that rubato plays an important role in whale communication. They found that after one whale used rubato, neighboring whales would rapidly match the tempo change with their own codas.

Ms. Sharma’s new visualizations also revealed that sperm whales could occasionally add an extra click to the end of the coda, a behavior they call ornamentation. The scientists found evidence that the extra clicks were not just pointless flourishes. The whales that led groups often used ornamentation, after which their followers often responded with codas of their own.

The analysis showed that the conventional catalog of sperm whale codas could not capture their full complexity. Sperm whales can produce a 1+1+3 coda, for example, that lasts four-fifths of a second, or one second, or 1.25 seconds. Other codas may last only one-third of a second or half a second.

All told, the researchers identified 156 different codas, each with distinct combinations of tempo, rhythm, rubato and ornamentation. Dr. Gero said that this variation is strikingly similar to the way humans combine movements in our lips and tongue to produce a set of phonetic sounds.

A single sound like “ba,” or “na” carries no semantic meaning on its own. But we can combine them into meaningful words like “banana.” The researchers raised the possibility that sperm whales might combine features of codas to convey meaning in a similar way.

Other experts said the whale alphabet marked an exciting advance. But they said sperm whale codas might be more akin to music than language.

“Music can have a strong influence on emotions without it actually conveying information,” said Taylor Hersh, a bioacoustician at Oregon State University. Rubato might be one way for sperm whales to tighten their social bonds, she speculated, by matching their songs.

Jacob Andreas, a computer scientist at M.I.T. and an author of the study, said that the alphabet is allowing the researchers to dig deeper into whale songs. “Now we have gotten the machinery in place to start tackling the much more ambitious, long-term goal for Project CETI, which is trying to figure out what all of this actually means.”

Microphones deployed in the Caribbean are capturing ocean sounds 24 hours a day, and scientists are programming computers to learn how to pick sperm whale songs out from the background noise.

Dr. Andreas and his colleagues are also training artificial intelligence programs similar to ChatGPT. After listening to the sperm whale songs, these models might learn to recognize not just rubato and ornamentation, but other features that scientists have missed.

The hope is that computers will then be able to compose whale songs of their own, which could then be played to the whales.

That effort leaves other experts skeptical. Luke Rendell, a marine biologist at the University of St Andrews, in Scotland, worries that the A.I. models assume whale songs are a kind of language, rather than something more like music.

“I’ve no doubt that you could produce a language model that could learn to produce sperm-whale-like sequences,” Dr. Rendell said. “But that’s all you get.”

Produced by Antonio de Luca and Hang Do Thi Duc

Audio by Project CETI .

Carl Zimmer covers news about science for The Times and writes the Origins column . More about Carl Zimmer

International edition
Australia edition
Europe edition

a large white cruise ship in a body of water

Cruise ship arrives at New York City harbor with dead whale caught on bow

The 44ft-long whale corpse was an endangered sei whale, which will now be examined to determine how it died

A cruise ship has journeyed into New York City’s harbor bearing a gruesome cargo in the form of a huge, dead whale sprawled across its bow.

The incident happened on Saturday, according to local US media reports , and the event is being held by some as further evidence of the unfortunate impact on sea life that large vessels can have.

The 44ft-long whale corpse was an endangered sei whale and was caught on the ship’s bow when it arrived at the Port of Brooklyn, according to a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration fisheries spokesperson, Andrea Gomez.

The boat involved was the Meraviglia, which docked in New York before sailing on a journey to ports in New England and Canada. It is owned by Geneva-based MSC Cruises .

“We immediately notified the relevant authorities, who are now conducting an examination of the whale,” officials with the cruise line said in a statement, who added that the company had regulations in place to avoid collisions with whales and other animals at sea.

“We are deeply saddened by the loss of any marine life,” the statement said.

The whale is now the subject of a necropsy to try and determine how it died, notably if it was already dead when hit by the cruise ship. Sei whales are one of the largest whales and are a protected species.

Seascape: the state of our oceans

Most viewed

IMAGES

Short essay on whale||essay writing in english|| handwriting practice ||
The Whale Essay, an art print by Nicole Klein
The Whale writer shares screenplay page with Brendan Fraser
The Whale
10 Lines Essay on Whale in English
Due to excessive whaling, many species of whale are near extinction

VIDEO

Short Paragraph on Whale
To The Last Whale (Cover)
We speak lightly about deep words #The whale that turns into an island #Zhou Shen
💥 Learn Words 😱🐋 Whale #english #words #practice #learn #shorts #whale
10 Lines Essay On Whale 🐋
Said the Whale- Last Tree Standing

COMMENTS

The Whale
CHARLIE takes one last step toward ELLIE, his eyes on hers the entire time. The waves reach their loudest level. For the first time, ELLIE smiles at CHARLIE. ELLIE (CONT'D) "This book made me think about my own life, and then it made me feel glad for my--" CHARLIE looks up. The waves cut off. 108.
The Whale Ending & Real Meaning Explained
Throughout The Whale's story, Charlie is shown reading from a Moby Dick essay which calms him and brings him solace.The Whale ending explained that the essay was written by Ellie, and he considered it the most honest piece of writing he ever read.. Charlie was constantly frustrated with the students he taught online because they would give him generic responses or write what they thought would ...
'The Whale' Ending Explained: Does Charlie Die?
The Whale ending explained: On the last day of his life, Liz returns to Charlie to take care of him. Even though she is angry, she loves him. ... What was the end of Ellie's essay in The Whale?
Brendan Fraser Shares His Interpretation of The Whale's Final Scene
In the final scene of The Whale, Ellie confronts Charlie about switching out her essay with an essay on Moby Dick she wrote in 8th grade. Charlie switched out the essays because he finally saw her and understood that the latter essay was an expression of herself. Though Ellie is defensive at first, the two end up attempting to connect one last ...
The Whale ending explained as Brendan Fraser breaks down film
'The Whale' ending explained: Star Brendan Fraser breaks down that final scene between Charlie and Ellie (Sadie Sink). ... being like, 'This is the best essay I've ever read.' At long last, he's ...
'The Whale' ending explained by the play's writer, actors, directors
The following contains spoilers from the movie "The Whale," now playing in theaters. The movie version of "The Whale" ends with a breath, a bright light and a beach. The last visual shows ...
The Whale Ending Explained: Step Into The Light
Brendan Fraser and Darren Aronofsky's The Whale is a powerful film with an ambiguous ending, one that can be interpreted in wildly different ways. ... Ellie has the last line of the essay: 'It ...
The Whale Ending Explained: What Happens in Brendan Fraser ...
Charlie is dying at the very end and refuses to go to the hospital. As he bonds with Ellie, he attempts to stand. Between the effort of moving and his overall mental state, Charlie dies and ...
The Whale movie explained: Charlie, the ending & meaning
The Whale explained: Charlie, the ending and the movie meaning. Two main characters constitute the blood and flesh of the movie: Charlie and his daughter Ellie. The stories of their lives explained the message of The Whale, culminating in the ending. Charlie is a professor, and he was married to Mary. When their daughter Ellie was eight years ...
The Whale Ending, Explained
The Whale hit the silver screen in 2022, marking the ultimate comeback of fan favorite Brendan Fraser following a few rocky years in his career and personal life. This Darren Aronofsky film, based ...
'The Whale' ending explained: what happened to Charlie?
What happens at the end of The Whale? 'The Whale' is out in UK cinemas from February 3. CREDIT: A24. As Charlie nears death in his home, Ellie confronts him after receiving a low grade for an ...
The Whale ending explained: what happens?
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. It was an essay Ellie wrote when she was younger and that Charlie tells her is a good, honest piece of writing. He asks her to read it to him one last time now that he is dying, but she refuses and goes to leave.
The Whale ending explained: What happened to Brendan Fraser's Charlie?
Brendan Fraser as Charlie in The Whale. YouTube/A24. Over the course of The Whale, we learn that Charlie ended his marriage to his wife Mary as he was hiding his homosexuality until he fell in ...
'The Whale' ending explained: what happened to Charlie?
What happens at the end of The Whale? 'The Whale' is out in UK cinemas from February 3. CREDIT: A24. As Charlie nears death in his home, Ellie confronts him after receiving a low grade for an ...
'The Whale' Ending, Explained: Why Was Charlie Hopeful About ...
Thomas found it absurd when he asked him to read an essay that some student had written analyzing the novel by Herman Melville, Moby-Dick. ... While Charlie walked his last steps, all the fond memories kept coming back to him. In those last moments, Ellie had nothing but love for her father. ... Final Words "The Whale" is not the kind of ...
The Whale (2022) Movie Explained: Ending & Themes Analyzed
Lopamudra Mukherjee August 1, 2023. The Whale (2022) Movie Explained: Ending & Themes Analyzed: Aronofsky's latest tormenting creation has the innate sense of a murmuring, refractory observation than a purposive nudge towards contemplation. All we see of the magnificent Brandon Fraser's agonized lead is all he sees of himself in every ...
The Whale writer didn't know about the ending change from the play
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. In an interview with Digital Spy, the writer talked about the original ...
The Ending Of The Whale Explained
The film, based on the 2012 play of the same name, follows Charlie (Fraser), a reclusive 600-pound man looking to reconnect with his distant daughter, Ellie (Sadie Sink), while dealing with a ...
Question about The Whale I haven't heard anyone else talk ...
Question about The Whale I haven't heard anyone else talk about [Spoilers] Spoilers. The essay ends with this line "This book made me think about my own life, and then it made me feel glad for my--" full essay here for context. In the last scene Ellie stops reading and her eyes pop up like the unread words are an epiphany.
'The Whale' Script: Read Samuel D. Hunter's Screenplay ...
The Whale hit theaters in six theaters in Los Angeles and New York on December 9 and scored 2022's best per-theater average. It later expanded, with its box office cume now sitting at $8.58 million.
'The Whale' review: Brendan Fraser's performance? It's complicated
His favorite piece of writing is an essay on Moby-Dick — the actual whale of the title — that he often reads or demands that someone read to him, a device whose ludicrous backstory Fraser just ...
Essay in The Whale : r/A24
In the amazing book Moby Dick by the author Herman Melville, the author recounts his story of being at sea. In the first part of his book, the author, calling himself Ishmael, is in a small sea-side town and he is sharing a bed with a man named Queequeg.". "The author and Queequeg go to church and later set out on a ship captained by the ...
'The Whale' Ending, Explained: Does Charlie ...
Dan represents society in "The Whale." Charlie knows that if he shows himself to anybody outside, they will treat him badly. They would insult him. After Dan sees him, Charlie goes into a frenzied state of overeating out of depression. Later, when he gives his last lecture to his students, he turns on his webcam and shows them what he looks ...
The Whale writer shares screenplay page with Brendan Fraser
Read The Whale's moving script page that allowed Brendan Fraser to build the 'spine' of the film. See EW's exclusive screenplay excerpt from Samuel D. Hunter's new drama that features an emotional ...
Scientists document remarkable sperm whale 'phonetic alphabet'
The higher level is words to sentences. Sperm whales, Sharma said, also use a two-level combination of features to form codas, and codas are then sequenced together as the whales communicate.
Discussion: THE WHALE (2022) directed by Darren Aronofsky ...
Thomas reads the old hand written essay at the beginning when Charlie thought he was dying. Ellie reads the one Charlie typed up at the end when Charlie knows he is dying. Although the essay is in key scenes and Charlie mentions many times his opinion regarding the essay, I actually think the words of the essay were meaningless in those key scenes.
Scientists Find an 'Alphabet' in Whale Songs
In 2020, a team of marine biologists and computer scientists joined forces to analyze the click-clacking songs of sperm whales, the gray, block-shaped leviathans that swim in most of the world's ...
Cruise ship arrives at New York City harbor with dead whale caught on
The 44ft-long whale corpse was an endangered sei whale, which will now be examined to determine how it died. Guardian staff. Thu 9 May 2024 08.17 EDT. A cruise ship has journeyed into New York ...

More From Decider

'Unfrosted' Has Everyone Wondering "What's The Deal With Jerry Seinfeld?"

Chrissy Teigen Stuns John Legend On 'The Drew Barrymore Show' With Reveal...

Brooke Shields Flashed Her ‘Mother of the Bride’ Co-Star Benjamin...

Andy Cohen Reveals Sarah Jessica Parker's Reaction When He Suggested Rosie...

Anne Hathaway's 'Tonight Show' Interview Hits An Awkward Snag After The...

11 Best New Movies on Netflix: May 2024's Freshest Films to Watch

John Green’s ‘Turtles All the Way Down’ Cameo Is a Treat for His...

Spider-Man Swings onto 'X-Men '97' — But This Isn't Just Any Spider-Man

‘The Whale’ Ending Explained: Brendan Fraser’s Uncomfortable Drama Ends With a Final, Cruel Tragedy

The Whale plot summary:

Chris Hemsworth, Jennifer Lawrence And More Slated As Oscars 2024 Presenters

The Whale ending explained:

Does Charlie die in The Whale ?

What was the end of Ellie’s essay in The Whale ?

'The View's Sunny Hostin Covers Her Face In Embarrassment As Whoopi Goldberg Asks If She'd Let Sherri Shepherd Date Her 21-Year-Old Son

Does 'Yellowstone' Return Tonight? 'Yellowstone's Season 5, Part 2 Premiere Date Info, Kevin Costner Updates, And More

Stream It Or Skip It: ‘The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare’ on VOD, in Which Guy Ritchie Directs A Fictional Spin on a Real-Life WWII Era Secret Spy Mission

'Unfrosted' Has Everyone Wondering "What's The Deal With Jerry Seinfeld?"

Andy Cohen Reveals Sarah Jessica Parker's Reaction When He Suggested Rosie O'Donnell Take Over As Che Diaz In 'And Just Like That'

Chrissy Teigen Stuns John Legend On 'The Drew Barrymore Show' With Reveal About Her Exes: "Wow"

Screen Rant

New Horror Movie With 21% RT Score Nearly Triples Budget At The Box Office In Just 10 Days

What Happens In The Whale's Ending

The Whale Ending Explained: Step Into The Light

What you need to remember about the plot of The Whale

What happens at the end of The Whale?

Did Charlie die in the end?

Does Charlie go to heaven?

What has the cast and crew of The Whale said about the ending?

The play had a surprising alternate ending

'The Whale' Ending Explained: What Happens in Brendan Fraser’s Comeback?

What Is 'The Whale' About?

Why Does Mary Not Want Charlie to See Ellie?

What Happened to Thomas?

What Happened to Ellie?

What Was Going on With the Pizza Delivery Boy?

What is Charlie Trying to Do at the End?

What Is Happening to Charlie in the Film’s Final Moments?

What are the Differences Between the Play and the Film?

The Whale movie explained: Charlie, the ending & meaning

The Whale explained: Charlie, the ending and the movie meaning

Share this story:

The Whale Ending, Explained

What Is The Whale About?

What Happens at the End of The Whale?

What The Cast Has to Say About It

The Whale ending explained: what happens?

Does Charlie die in The Whale?

Get the What to Watch Newsletter

Is The Whale a true story?

Most Popular

‘The Whale’ ending explained: what happened to Charlie?

What happens at the end of The Whale ?

Recommended

You May Also Like

The Whale (2022) Movie Explained: Ending & Themes Analyzed

The Whale (2022) Plot Summary and Movie Synopsis

The First Discernible Sign Of An Impending Death

A Slowburn Suicide

The Whale (2022) Themes Analyzed

The Scars Of Abandonment

The Blemishes In Heavenly Forgiveness

The Whale (2022): Ending Explained

Related Read: The Whale [2022] Review – A stagey but intimate character-drama that carefully treads the fine line between honesty and cynicism

Similar Posts

Dangerous Waters (2023) Ending Explained: How does Rose Save All the Young Girls in the Ship?

Echo 3 (Season 1), Episodes 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 & 6: Recap & Ending Explained – Does Tariq agree to help rescue Amber?

The Eyes of My Mother [2016] : A Feather in the Cap of Horror Genre

Nobadi [2019]: ‘TIFF’ Review – Questioning our notion of identity

Beyond The Hills [2012]

The Killing Vote (Season 1), Episode 7: Recap & Ending, Explained – Mu-chan’s Confrontation – Is Min-soo the Killer?

The Whale writer didn't know about the ending change from the play

Best Entertainment and Tech Deals

Shop Sky deals across TV, broadband and mobile

Shop Google Pixel 7a phones

Coronation Street X Joanie - Gilroy Retro Newton And Ridley Sweatshirt

LEGO Disney and Pixar ‘Up’ House

LEGO 007 Aston Martin DB5 James Bond

Sign up for Apple TV+