In only a few days, we’ll get our first idea of what’s in store forThe Whale, the latest film from directorDarren Aronofsky. The revered filmmaker behindRequiem for a Dream,The Wrestler,Black Swan, and, most recently,mother!is most certainly known for his bold, relentless, intensive, and visceral films, and his adaptation ofSamuel D. Hunter’s 2012 play of the same name may not be an exception.
Slated to premiereon September 4th at theVenice Film Festival, the upcoming drama is already predicted to be a major awards season contender, notably forBrendan Fraser’s transformative lead performance, and it makes sense thatA24is slating to release the movie on December 9th, which puts it right smack dab in the middle of Oscar consideration. It’s not yet certain if this date is a limited engagement or a wide rollout.
The release date announcement was included inVanity Fair’s extensive article breaking down the making of this intimate character piece. The film’s release date makes it readily available not just for awards consideration but best of the year round-ups as well. Of course, it’s much too early to know if this movie will match the expectations of audiences and awards pundits alike, but there’s alreadygood reasonto believe that Fraser’s performance will be among the most acclaimed of this ongoing year; abouta week ago, it was announced that Fraser is slated to be the recipient of this year’s Tribute Award for Performance at theToronto International Film Festival. Previously, this festival award was given toJessica ChastainforThe Eyes of Tammy FayeandJoaquin PhoenixforJoker, both of whom went on to win their respective Oscars. That’s not to say that it’s a guarantee that Fraser will walk away with his own Oscar statue, but it certainly suggests that he’s on the path to getting a lot of awards attention.
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Certainly, Aronofsky is no stranger to leading his Oscars into the awards season conversation.Natalie Portmanwon an Oscarfor her spellbinding lead performance inBlack Swan, whileMickey RourkeandEllen Burstynwere nominated for their work inThe WrestlerandRequiem for a Dream, respectively. It’s safe to say that Aronofsky’s work hasn’t always suited the Academy’s tastes.mother!wasmaybe a little too extremeand allegorical for their tastes, it seems, and the same could be said forThe FountainandNoah, as they were also snubbed from their respective Oscar seasons. It seemsThe Whalewill perhaps be more stark and subdued than the notoriously stylistic director’s previous films, which might ultimately work in its favor come Oscar season.
Of course, we’ll have a much better idea of what’s in store forThe Whalewhen the movie premieres at the beginning of September. But as its new release date makes evident, it’s expected to be a contender.
The Whalehits theaters on December 9th. You can check outmother!’s trailer below:
