The Whale trailer premieres: is Brendan Fraser the frontrunner for best actor?

I’ve talked about Samuel D Hunter’s The Whale so much I didn’t realize it hadn’t opened yet. But it just ran the film festival circuit to great success. Now, however, the first trailer dropped, and we finally get to see what all the yelling is about. Or clapping, rather. The film’s gotten a lot of press so far, some good, and some not so good. But almost everyone agrees that star Brendan Fraser is a standout. Not just that everyone is thrilled for his comeback, but he turns in a powerhouse performance. So much so that he is presently poised as a frontrunner for best actor.

Brendan Fraser’s highly-acclaimed comeback is front and center in the first trailer for “The Whale,” the latest film from director Darren Aronofsky (“Requiem for a Dream,” “Black Swan”) and A24.

“The Whale” follows Charlie (Fraser), an English teacher living with obesity who has decided to eat himself to death. His pain and misery stems from the abandonment and death of his gay lover, leading to chronic binge-eating. Meanwhile, Charlie struggles to reconnect with his 17-year-old daughter, played by “Stranger Things” favorite Sadie Sink. Now, the 600-pound man has one last shot at redemption with his child.

“The Whale” emerged from the fall festival circuit with rave reviews for Fraser’s performance, which earned a six-minute standing ovation at the Venice Film Festival that reduced the actor to tears. Screenings at the Toronto International Film Festival and the London Film Festival earned similar standing ovations for Fraser. For many Oscar pundits, Fraser is the frontrunner for best actor.

“It felt so affirming,” Fraser told Variety in October regarding enthusiasm surrounding his appearances through the fall festivals. “I was emotional because it was acknowledgment that what we did is making an impact. And that kind of response feels completely new in my professional life.”

[From Yahoo!]

I’d love to see Brendan win an Oscar. I already know he’d make us cry in his acceptance speech. But I want to see him win the Golden Globe. Since it was the HFPA that sunk his career, let them be the first to recognize what’s owed him. Unfortunately, there will be controversy surrounding any recognition for this role due to the prosthetics. But from everything I’ve heard so far, Brendan really is incredible. I’ve posted the trailer below. He only speaks a couple of lines so it’s hard to gauge. However, he does a great job with the few we hear.

What’s interesting is this is also considered a comeback of sorts for Darren Aronofsky. His last film was Mother! and lord knows how that turned out. But nobody is really bringing him into the discussion, only Brendan. To Aronofsky’s credit, he is letting Brendan fully have the moment

Here’s the trailer for The Whale, which comes out Dec 9:

Photo credit: Cover Images, YouTube and Ottavia Da Re/Agenzia Sintesi/Avalon

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