Brendan Fraser applauded heartily at the Venice Film Festival

As the final credits passed across the Sala Grande screen, the crowd gave him a standing ovation that lasted about six minutes. Meanwhile, Brendan Fraser could be seen rising from his chair alongside his fellow co-stars and director, only to bend over and wipe his tears.

in Whale, the 53-year-old Canadian-American actor plays Charlie, a reclusive 600-pound English language teacher trying to reconnect with his 17-year-old daughter. The film is based on the play of the same name written by American playwright Samuel D. Hunter.

Darren Aronofsky, author of provocative films that explore disorders of the human psyche such as Back to Brooklyn (Requiem for a dream) And the black Swan (black Swan), worked for 10 years to establish it Whale. After seeing the play, he made it his mission to meet its author.

Find the right Charlie

Batch one line in particular to initiate the project: People are incapable of not caring about others. However, the movie could only go with a perfect actor to resurrect this demanding role.

Finding Charlie was a big challengeDarren Aronofsky said in an interview with The Associated Press. Everyone considered. All the stars of the planet. But nothing clicked, I didn’t feel anything.

During his research, the director stumbled upon a trailer for a low-budget Brazilian movie starring Brendan Fraser, and The light bulb went offHe said.

The actor who will soon be seen in Martin Scorsese’s historical drama Moonflower killersHe claims not to know There is no artist worth their salt who does not want to work With Darren Aronofsky.

The person who played the brave adventurer in the highly profitable action movie series mummy At the beginning of the first decade of the twenty-first century also confirms this Charlie is the most heroic man by far which he ever did.

Brendan Fraser says he actually had to re-learn how to transition to this role: I’ve developed muscles I didn’t know existed. I even got dizzy at the end of my shooting days, when they took my prosthetic limb, as if I was getting off a boat in Venice.

” I learned that you have to be an incredibly strong person, both physically and mentally, to live in this type of body. »

Empathy is an essential ingredient

In addition to his unusual physical appearance, Charlie is a character with deep sympathy for his loved ones, including his daughter Ellie – played by Sadie Sink, from Weird things – Whom he disagrees with.

She has a lot of things in her heart, but I don’t think she expects to find someone who cares about her that muchThe 20-year-old actress explained her character’s relationship with Charlie.

Playwright Samuel de Hunter, who co-wrote the film with Darren Aronofsky, began writing his play Whale Twelve years ago, when he was taking a compulsory creative writing course at Rutgers University no one wanted to take it.

He also drew on his own background, setting the plot in his hometown of Moscow, Idaho, discussing his depression and unhealthy diet, and attending a fundamentalist Christian school as a gay teen.

I thought the only way I could write it was by tapping into feelings of love and empathy. I wanted Charlie to be a beacon in the middle of a very dark seahe pointed out.

breathing camera

Investigation Whale It poses a major challenge to Darren Aronofsky due to the constraints imposed by filming in a restricted setting, i.e. the hero’s apartment, from which the camera never leaves.

Along with director of photography Matthew Lipatick, the director has always thought of ways to transform the world of theater into cinema. Seeing the final cut, he was relieved to find that he was able to organize a camera that wasn’t visually confined.

A second golden lion?

Darren Aronofsky is a regular member of Mostra. his movies black Swan And the the fountain (FountainThe world premiere was there, while the gladiator She won the Golden Lion there. this year, Whale In the official competition, the winners will be announced on September 10.

In recent years, many of us have experienced isolation, said the 53-year-old director. Cinema provides human connection, and it allows us to slip into someone else’s shoes for two hours. I think this is exactly what the world needs. I am very happy to be back.

release date Whale In Canada it is not disclosed. In the United States, the film will be shown in select cities on December 9.