Have you watched the recently released film The Whale? Did you think the movie is a documentary on whales by the name of the film? Are you interested in knowing the filming locations of the film? The Whale is a recently released Psychological film written by Samuel D. Hunter. The film is based on a book written by Samuel D. Hunter, the same name.
Direct film Darren Aronofsky and Matthew Libatique do the astounding cinematography. Jeremy Dawson and Ari Handel produce the film under the production of Protozoa Pictures. The film was released on A24 on December 9, 2022, with a run time of 117 minutes.
The film’s core cast includes Brendan Fraser as Charlie, the protagonist and morbidly obese guy, and Sadie Sink as Ellie, Charlie’s estranged daughter. Ty Simpkins as Thomas, a Christain missionary, and Hong Chau as Liz, a nurse of Charlie. Samantha Morton as Mary, and Sathya Sridharan as Dan, the pizza delivery guy.
The audience received the film well, and the actor playing Charlie was praised for his work. He won the Best Actor award at the Academy Awards and Critic’s Choice Awards and got nominated for Golden Globe Award. The film received positive reviews from critics. The film also proved to be a blockbuster with a box office collection of $50.8M.
The Whale Plot
The plot of the film is quite usual, which sheds light on the issue of morbid obesity and the health issues surrounding it. The film has also pointed out the emotional turmoil in the life of a morbidly obese person.
The film follows Charlie, a morbidly obese man who teaches English to students through an online portal. Charlie has only one friend, his nurse Liz who gently tries to push him to get treatment for his obesity. Charlie often refuses Liz’s requests stating he cannot afford treatment.
Charlie frequently has episodes of binge eating if he is in emotional turmoil. Charlie is estranged from his daughter and hopes to reconcile with her one day. Charlie sees no option but to reunite with his daughter and bribes Ellie with $120,000 to visit and spend time with him. Charlie often orders pizza, and the delivery guy Dan delivers it to the doorstep and collects the money from the mailbox.
It is also revealed in the film that Charlie abandoned his ex-wife and daughter for Alan, the recently hired missionary. Charlie’s health starts to deteriorate rapidly, and Liz tries to support him. Dan has never seen Charlie in real life, but once he gets a peek at how Charlie looks, he gets shocked and runs away. The film progresses, and the audience witnesses a character development in Ellie and Charlie.
Charlie reveals himself to his students by switching on the webcam, something he hasn’t done before. The film ends on a happy note with the father and daughter reconciliation. The end credits show Charlie being lifted and engulfed in a white light, indicating that the barriers between the father and daughter have been broken.
The Whale Filming Locations
The movie’s filming started on March 8 and was completed by April 7, 2021. The film is shot in parts of Newburgh, New York. The post-production of the film began late in April. Fraser had to spend hours being fitted into the prosthetics to look fat. He also learned the movements of a fat person.
Newburg, New York
Newburgh is a city in New York situated in U.S. states. The area was first settled in the early 18th century and had a large population. The movie begins with Charlie sitting on the couch and discussing his life. The film is shot in a house built by Umbra Sound Stage at 9 Scobie Drive.
The production cast and crew of the film meticulously constructed a set for the living room of Charlie. The Umbra Studio is an 18,000 sq. foot. The director of the film followed the same suit as the play written and launched by Samuel. The scenes involving the dingy apartment were shot here.
The production crew selected Idaho to shoot some of the film’s beginning scenes, where the audience witness Charlie being cooped up in a lifeless apartment teaching English writing skills to his students through the online portal. Charlie appears to be glum and not doing well.
The location was selected as it had predominantly white neighborhoods. It resonated with the scheduled life of the protagonist—the scenes where the audience witnessed Charli and his day-to-day life were shot here. The end scenes of the film where Ellie reunites with her father are also shot here.
The Whale Much Loved By The Audience
The audience and the critics love the psychological film. The audience is all praises for the film and the power pack performance of the cast. Fraser’s return as an actor blows away the viewers, who are rooting for him to make more films and succeed.
Where To Watch The Whale?
The film is available for viewers to stream on the Sony Liv channel and Airtle Xstream with a subscription. The film may not be easily accessible in some regions, but viewers residing there can use VPN to access the film.
