The Shape of a New Man

Chimes at Midnight, 1965

If you’ve been paying attention to the dismal awards cycle (or, as I have, been forced to pay attention) you’ve probably heard a lot about the Brendan Frasier vehicle The Whale. Its director, the uneven Darren Aronofsky, has made a number of films indirectly about eating disorders, and this counts as yet another: but the discussion around The Whale is less about the film’s content than the politics surrounding it. For instance: in telling stories about fat people, have we moved beyond the need to place thin actors in fat suits? Can we ever move beyond this? More importantly, can we get away from the obligatory shame narrative surrounding the portrayal and discussion of fat bodies on film? Can a Hollywood story about a fat person ever get past a morbid fascination with judging, shaming, and finally pitying the character by implying that being fat is the most notable (and horrible) thing about them?