Yes, most movies in Toronto get overpraised and unnecessarily lengthy applause, but you had to be in the room for “The Whale” this afternoon. The moderator had to stop the standing ovation for the post-screening Q&A to begin.
This was my second get-go with Darren Aronofsky’s film, but the crowd was with the damn thing from the very start. There’s just a lot of love and support right now for Brendan Fraser and his campaign just feels like a train that won’t quit.
I still have the same reservations I had with the film from the first time I saw it around a week ago, but I expect the impending second wave of reviews to be very generous for “The Whale” here. The “Brendaissance” is indeed full-steam ahead until awards season. You’d be a fool not to believe that he’s a contender.
There was so much love in the room tonight. I saw grown men were weeping. Now, let’s see if A24 can build a decent campaign around this performance, and maybe even the movie.