The Whale (2022)

The title of this film has a triple meaning. The most apparent allusion is to barometric pressure. The second-most apparent allusion is to the pressure that our main character and his team is under to accurately forecast the weather on D-Day. But the most concealed allusion is the pressure the audience is under to withstand the tension and excitement. That tension and excitement being produced by, what else, World War II and meteorology.

In respect to all three examples, Pressure amplifies gradually.  In the first twenty minutes, the movie doesn’t feel especially compelling, in fact it feels quite pedestrian, well into “seen it before” territory.  But that seems intentional.  Slowly it builds.  You get drops of genius here and there, followed by a consistent stream of interesting characters interactions, until the levy starts to break and the excitement floods the screen.  By the time you make it to the actual D-Day invasion, you are absolutely hooked.  The combat scenes don’t take up much screen time, but they are the most gripping part of the film, and they are placed in a genius fashion. 

This film is anchored by its performances.  Brendan Fraser is the most famous of those in the cast, playing the most famous character in the film, General Dwight David Eisenhower.  His performance mirrors the film’s pacing: at first it feels somewhat weak, then drips of brilliance drop, followed by a consistent stream of excellence.  It’s no match for his performance in The Whale, but it still compels, especially in moments of anger.  Our actual main character, James Stagg, is played by Andrew Scott, who must have spent an inordinate amount of time preparing for this role as he delivers one of the most convincing performances of 2026.  His character is often reserved, intentionally holding back his emotions, which makes the moments where they leak out that much more effective.  The rest of the supporting cast isn’t quite as notable but still provides ample support, and not nearly enough credit will go to the individual soldiers who play brief but excellent roles in the film. 

Number 5

Black SwanBlack Swan is an important film. It stars the amazing actress Natalie Portman and depicts the chaotic and borderline toxic world of ballet. Just like in Aronofsky’s film Pi, we see our protagonist’s descent into madness. It is scary, depressing, and heartfelt. However, the fault of the film is its plot. The use of an evil double personality is something seen many times before in films and is hardly innovative. This film took a lot of its inspiration from the plot and cinematography of the Japanese Animated film Perfect Blue, which I can’t help but see as a more frightening depiction of the same concepts.  

Number Four

The Wrestler

A slice of life film about self-destruction, reconnection, and humanity. Similar to The Whale, one of the largest draws of the film is the critical redemption of an actor. Mickey Rourke was on a descent towards obscurity after multiple facial injuries from boxing caused multiple surgeries on his face. Fortunately, Aronofsky felt that the character of Randy “The Ram” Robinson was in a similar position to Rourke, which led to the casting. This makes the film extremely personal and compassionate. A small story that depicts a former wrestler finding his way without being able to do the one thing he knows. The slow pace will definitely lose a few members of the audience, but the ones that stick around will not be able to help loving Randy the Ram.