What happens when you pair rising scream queen Sadie Sink with resurgent action hero frequenter Brendan Fraser? Your first guess probably wouldn’t be an intimately poignant Darren Aronofsky drama that has been stirring up its fair share of Oscars buzz for months; although, taking that last piece of info into account, perhaps that was your immediate guess.
Indeed, few films this year have matched up to the press coverage of A24’s The Whale, and with how long it’s been on most everyone’s radar, it’s perhaps a surprise that the film hasn’t officially released yet. That’s all set to change a month from now, when The Whale will finally be making its theatrical bow, and to mark the occasion, we’ve been given a touching glimpse of Fraser’s triumphant comeback feature with a brand new trailer.
Directed by Aronofsky, who spent over a decade trying to get the film made, with a screenplay by Samuel D. Hunter based on the writer’s own play of the same name, The Whale stars Brendan Fraser as Charlie, a middle-aged English teacher who attempts to reconnect with his teenage daughter Ellie (Sink), who he shares a strained relationship with after having walked out on her and his ex-wife for another, now-deceased lover.
This latest trailer drives home an excess of emotional impact with a stupendously minimalist approach, relying on ambient shots of Charlie’s house and the surrounding environment, with only the lines: “Do you ever get the feeling people are incapable of not caring?” and “People are amazing” as a true indicator of what we’re in for; that being an introspection on family, empathy, and love that’s sure to twist our hearts and tear ducts into ungodly shapes.
The Whale releases to theaters on Dec. 9.