The first official trailer for The Whale, starring Brendan Fraser, has been released.
Directed by Darren Aronofsky, the film features Fraser as a 600-pound man named Charlie, who has steadily turned into a recluse. Stranger Things star Sadie Sink plays Charlie’s daughter, Ellie, with whom he’s trying to rebuild a relationship.
Ahead of the film opening in cinemas next year, limited images have been made available to fans.
The release of the trailer on Tuesday (8 November) gives the wider public the first opportunity to see the cast in action.
During the minute-long clip, Fraser as Charlie can be seen looking wistfully at a bird outside of his window, while he sits still inside his dark house.
Elsewhere, we get a shot of Sink with an emotional facial expression, as well as Hong Chau as Liz, Charlie’s best friend and carer.
“Do you ever get the feeling people are incapable of not caring?” Charlie says, before adding: “People are amazing.”
The Whale has received high praise from those who have seen the film during its screenings at various festivals.
At Venice Film Festival, the audience gave the film a six-minute standing ovation at the end, which brought Fraser to tears.
The film was similarly well-received when it was screened at the London Film Festival weeks later, and also resulted in an emotional reaction from Fraser.
In order to portray Charlie, the Mummy actor had to use prosthetics and undergo a physical transformation to appear as someone described as obese. Speaking about the role earlier this year, he guaranteed that the character’s weight and physical appearance would not be used for comic purposes.
“I looked at other body suits that had been used in comedies over the years, usually for a one-note joke,” Fraser explained to Vanity Fair in August.
“Whether intended or not, the joke is, it defies gravity. This was not that.”
The Whale is expected to release in UK cinemas on 3 February 2023.
