The movie concludes with Charlie ascending to heaven in a rather surreal moment, although not one that is exactly atypical of the directors body of work. Charlie tries to reconcile in any which way possible and so offers to pay her $120,000 and help her with school in exchange that she should hang out with him. 2023 ArticulateToday. When asked about the ending, Hunter didnt clarify Charlies status because, he said, its not necessarily relevant. He wanted to truly help people and thought personal interactions would be better. 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. 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. 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. He see it as a signifier of her purity, honesty, and unbridled passion. (Get it? 10 Feature Updates for Q3 2022 ? However, hes able to share a peaceful moment with his daughter before he attempts to stand up and dies. Is Bluescape available for Cloud, iPhone, iPad and Android? With that, the movie ends. 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Then with a gasp, Charlie floats off the floor and into a bright white light. But the endings overall effect echoes the final moment of its source material, which actors and directors whove staged the popular play consider to be a release that, when performed, feels communal and generally satisfying for the audience in the room. I just need Charlie to know that Ellie was grateful for his love. As she reads, he stands and walks towards her (which he was unable to do during their first visit). He had commended her honesty and feels angry at those who are fake like Dan. Brendan Fraser plays a reclusive English teacher suffering from compulsive eating disorder who attempts to reconnect with estranged teenage daughter. Liz is frustrated that Charlie did not choose to use this money for his medical expenses. The accolades it has garnered already, however, have piqued people's interests. 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. All rights reserved. When Ellie reads Charlies favorite line in the essayAnd 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 wasnt so obese. The MCUs tiniest heroes are kicking off its biggest phase yet, setting up the next several years of storytelling. The intention is that, by the time Charlie shares that hes giving his life savings to Ellie, and endures great pain to stand up and walk toward her as she reads her Moby-Dick essay aloud to him, the audience would feel the overwhelming fulfillment Charlie gets during his final breath in the play. Entertainment The film's conclusion, however, might be more difficult for some viewers to read, so we asked Fraser and screenwriter Samuel D. Hunter to break down what the final scene means for Charlie's journey. 981, This story has been shared 954 times. Travel Reyna de Courcy and Shuler Hensley play daughter and father in The Whale at New Yorks Playwrights Horizons in 2012. The melodrama is a heartwrenching tale of Charlie, an English teacher who has let himself go and gotten morbidly obese after the passing of his partner. 1,059, This story has been shared 1,025 times. The Whale ending explained: What happened to Brendan Fraser's Charlie? "I have this Forrest Gump-ian way of touching something and it becomes a hit!" Mary leaves, and Thomas arrives to reveal that he's going home; Ellie sent his confession to his youth group, but they accepted his apology. When we first see Charlie, he gets some kind of attack while he is jerking off to porn. NAME policy the business In an interview with Digital Spy, the writer talked . Articulate Today is an Intelligent News Platform with an aim to expand the thinking and possibilities of a future world that we can collectively create. He says he wants to save at least one person and thought it could be Charlie. She had even declined his money when her truck broke down as she thought he was broke and would walk through the snow to get him food. Welcome to the Quantum Realm. When I started writing The Whale, I think it all just came pouring out of me.. Liz blames New Life for her brothers extreme unhappinessbecause he was told his sexuality went against the will of Godwhich eventually led to Alan jumping off a bridge and killing himself. As he thinks he is dying, he tries to read an essay on Moby Dick but it falls to the ground. So when some of them finally do, its gorgeous and almost magical.. Or is she glad her dad left her when he did, to spare her his sad story? Its a really good essay.. At that moment, Ellie barges in and is angry as she failed because of the essay that Charlie wrote for her. In a fit of rage, he took the petty cash of $2,400 from the church and left. A24 YouTube The Whale ending explained. When Will 'Jesus Revolution' Movie Be Streaming? However, hes almost out of money and he cant go back because he will be disowned. Hunter doesnt shy away from any of the issues the characters are dealing with but doesnt bury you in [them] either, said Martin Benson, who directed a 2013 staging at South Coast Repertory. 954, Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window), Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window), 'Wheel of Fortune' Gets Awkward as Pat Sajak Snaps at Contestant for Grabbing Wheel: "Don't Touch That", 2023 NYP Holdings, Inc. All rights reserved, New Movies on Streaming: 'The Whale,' 'Knock At The Cabin,' + More, Where Was The Whale Filmed? As written in Hunters script, the stage directions of that breath simply read, A sharp intake of breath. We learn that Lizs brother, Alan, was Charlies romantic partner, as well as a member of the New Life church. Charlie, who is beginning to hyperventilate, tells Ellie that he didnt write the essayshe did. Whether Charlie dies at the end of The Whale is up for debate. It also could be considered in a metaphorical way, mimicking how whales immerse themselves for so long underwater and then they finally come up to the surface, said Schultz, or a deep intake of breath before diving in somewhere theyve never gone before, said Shuler Hensley, who played Charlie in the New York run as well as a London staging in 2018. at long last THE WHALE trailer has arrived. The film, surprisingly to some, missed out on Best Picture and Best Adapted Screenplay; The Whale's source material is a 2012 play of the same name. And then it has this really cathartic release at the end of the piece a blackout, a sound effect, and a moment where the audience just lived in that silent darkness together.. 4,515, This story has been shared 3,273 times. Does Unforgotten work without Nicola Walker? With a massive effort, Charlie walks toward Ellie. She cries as she wants him to go to the hospital when he cries in pain. There was a problem. What does Unforgotten series 5's final twist mean? Liz said at the beginning of the final scene that Charlie is dying. In the meantime, Ellie says she hates Charlie and leaves with the essay he wrote for her. 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Europe He instead decides to spend his last week of life attempted to reconnect with his estranged daughter. On the TV side he enjoys Peaky Blinders, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Saturday Night Live, Only Murders in the Building and is always up for a Seinfeld rerun. After his breakdown in which he binge eats and gets stressed, his condition worsens. This is the only way he feels will absolve him of his past mistakes. The Whale is now playing exclusively in movie theaters. 1,685, This story has been shared 1,682 times. Hunter, who also adapted the screenplay for film, based the story on his own experience with obesity in college. Thats a magic movie. The movie version of The Whale ends with a breath, a bright light and a beach. He says while he did something wrong, it brought him to Charlie and that he can save him as he pulls out Alans Bible that he had found in his room. Peaky Blinders's Cillian Murphy and his wife Yvonne McGuinness keep love life discreet, {{#media.media_details}} {{#media.focal_point}}. Liz is distraught, both at Charlie's unwillingness to help himself but also at his reticence to help her, and she leaves but not before Mary arrives to chastise him for bending to Ellie's will. Directed by Darren Aronofskythe same man who brought you uncomfortable, divisive movies like Black Swan and mother!The Whale is based on a 2012 play of the same nameby Samuel D. Hunter. Thomas also wants to be redeemed by bringing Charlie back to religion and puts forth tremendous effort to do so. 'Mandalorian' Funko Pops up to 77% Off Baby Yoda and More for Season 3, Who Plays the Armorer in 'The Mandalorian'? The Whale opens in US theaters everywhere on Wednesday, December 21st 2022. The Whale trailer cr. His goal is self-destructive, but you want the audience to understand what has driven him to do this, and that his redemption is in the relationship he tries to forge with his daughter. Charlie shares a memory of going to the beach with Ellie and Mary and swimming in the ocean. He then finishes every food item in the house and pukes it out. society Charlie doesnt think much of it but then he sees Ellies post about him being fat that Mary had left open on his laptop. She is angry at him for leaving her and cheating on her mother and for never staying in touch. Digital Spy participates in various affiliate marketing programs, which means we may get paid commissions on editorially chosen products purchased through our links to retailer sites. Dont worry, Decider is here to help. This includes eating more and more. The Whale is based on a 2012 play of the same name by Samuel D. Hunter. All rights reserved. In the stage version of The Whale, Brendan Fraser's . The message is clear: Charlie has died. Alan had been a student in the night school where Charlie taught. Then she kept her away because she didnt want Ellie to hurt Charlie. Did she write that she was glad family, perhaps? In the chokehold of loss, he began to binge eat and shut off, eventually having to enlist the help of a carer to look after him. When it comes to the most anticipated movies of 2022, theres simply no way audiences can ignore The Whale. So when some of them finally do, its gorgeous and almost magical.. All Rights Reserved. That scene, Fraser says, is key to understanding the film's conclusion, which brings Ellie and Charlie together for a genuine connection, as she reads the essay aloud. He asks her to make sure Ellie grows up to be a good person but she leaves without promising it. While one could argue that The Whale ending is up for interpretation, my interpretation is that Charlies feet leaving the ground is a clear metaphor for Charlies body leaving this earth, aka, that he has died of heart failure. He asks her to make sure Ellie grows up to be a good person but she leaves without promising it. Liz then declares that Charlie will die soon. twitter China This story has been shared 6,491 times. 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He needed to know he did one good thing with his life, he said. Ellie secretly records his confession. The lights snap to black. Many theater makers say that breath could very well be his last inhale, after which he is finally freed from the pains of his body, his loneliness, his grief. She calls Ellie evil while Charlie just thinks she is honest. The bull whale pulls itself onto shore and strands itself there, waiting for its death. They didnt know what to do, whether to applaud or get up or move because theyve become so connected to Charlie.. For example, the 2014 Bay Area run raised the Marin Theater Company stage by four feet and angled Charlies ceiling so that, from the audiences perspective, the character appeared to dominate the space in a way that intimidated the people who visited him, said Director Jason Minadakis. How the Government Can Help You Market Your Idea with a Loan, Top 10 Inventor Loans + Financing Tips Expert Guide. In the opening moments, he becomes short of breath and nearly passes out. The melodrama is a heartwrenching tale of Charlie, an English teacher who has let himself go and gotten morbidly obese after the passing of his partner. Still emotional, Charlie sends a profanity-laden email to his students to write something honest and when they do, he reciprocates by turning on his camera. Please refresh the page and try again. His ex-wife Mary (played by Samantha Mortin) doesnt want him to see Ellie either, but he perseveres and maintains hes sorry about being such an absent and neglectful father. Though Hunter didnt write the beach scene that follows Charlies onscreen ascension, he called it marvelous and shared an interpretation of what it might mean: If its a flashback to the last time Charlie went swimming in the ocean, close to when the family fell apart, what I see in that shot is a man staring down the abyss of self-actualization, contemplating the decision he has to make about the different avenues he can take. What is she glad for? football) Charlie is reticent to interact with strangers, and he is visited most often by his friend Liz (Chau), a nurse who is very concerned about Charlie's health. thank you @A24 @SadieSink @TYSIMPKINSactor #BrendanFraser #hongchau pic.twitter.com/6CZUcSyGSX. 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