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.
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.
Source: EW