Stephen Singh

Living in the Indian subcontinent, the movie was not available in theatres at the same time as its international release. However, after months of waiting, I finally saw it and WHAT. A. MOVIE. Having read almost every review out there about this movie, I thought I had this movie figured out. But boy was I wrong. Nothing could have prepared me for the ride I was going in. A big round of applause for all the cast members, who played their roles exceptionally well. The story and other information can be found on Wikipedia, so I won't bother with that. Instead, I'll share what I felt watching this masterpiece of a movie. From the moment the movie began, I was captivated. Maybe it was the 16:10 ratio of the film, or the ambiance that it set from the beginning, or maybe it was the high hopes and expectations that I had gathered from reading about the movie online. The direction, score, dialogues, and the way they are delivered are just phenomenal. You can feel dreadfulness and helplessness at any given time due to the music in the background. The pacing of the story is alright, it is not too fast nor is it so slow that viewers might start wandering off mentally. That is where the incredibly talented Brendan Fresar comes in. From the moment you set eyes on him, you are hooked. He has done an excellent job in portraying his character Charlie. The story spans a period of 1 week. I think that 'one-week' time plays a very important role in the decisions that Charlie takes. It has the same tone as 'if you only had a week left to live, what would you do?'. Overall 'The Whale' is an exceptional movie that deserves every award that it has won and I will definitely recommend everyone to watch it at least once. Even if not for the story, but for the acting.