The first trailer for A24's The Whale has arrived – and Brendan Fraser is giving what many are calling his career-best performance.
The brief clip, which can be viewed above, doesn't give much away about the film and instead highlights its intense emotional nature – ending with a sick, tearful Fraser uttering, "Do you ever get the feeling people are incapable of not caring? People are amazing."
Directed by Darren Aronofsky, The Whale follows Charlie (Fraser), a recluse living with severe obesity, who attempts to reconnect with his daughter Ellie (Sadie Sink) after having left his family for a man who later died. Hong Chau (Downsizing), Samantha Morton (The Serpent Queen), Ty Simpkins (Avengers: Endgame), and Sathya Sridharan (Minor Premise) also star.
The film first premiered at the 79th Venice International Film Festival on September 4, and was met with a six-minute standing ovation. It screened again at London Film Festival, where it was met once again with a five-minute standing ovation. Between the overall audience reception, multiple festival awards, and overwhelmingly positive reviews in praise of Fraser's performance – it looks like an Oscar nom is on the horizon.
Fraser skyrocketed to fame after starring in 1999's The Mummy and its subsequent sequels and would enjoy a career as both a comedic and dramatic actor before taking a brief break and appearing in DC shows like Titans and Doom Patrol. He's set to star in Martin Scorsese's Killers of the Flower Moon.
The Whale is set to hit theaters on December 9, 2022.
For more, check out our list of the most exciting upcoming movies in 2022 and beyond, or, skip right to the good stuff with our roundup of movie release dates.
