One of the best films of 2022 has just landed on Netflix for the first time

One of the best films of 2022 lands on Netflix today, but beware: get your tissue box ready. This is a tear jerker.

The whaleDirected by Darren Aronofsky, it is a drama centered around Charlie, a reclusive and morbidly obese English teacher, played by Brendan Fraser, who has isolated himself from the world out of shame and guilt over his condition. Charlie lives in a small apartment and teaches online courses without a camera. He spends his days reconnecting with his estranged teenage daughter Ellie, played by Sadie Sink, who we all know from the hit Netflix series. Stranger Things as Max.

Charlie's health is deteriorating due to his obesity and eating habits, and his closest connection to the outside world is Liz, played by Hong Chau, a nurse and friend who cares deeply for him but is troubled by his refusal to seek medical attention to claim. Meanwhile, Ellie is upset that Charlie abandoned her and her mother years ago, but Charlie sees reconnecting with her as a final chance for redemption.

The film only has a 64% on Rotten Tomatoes, which I find incredibly surprising given the heartbreaking performances (then again, I'm often taken aback by the review scores). However, audiences rate it “verified hot” with an Audience Score/Popcornmeter of 91%. That seems more in line with the series' many awards, although the most prominent all went to Fraser, including an Oscar for Best Actor as well as Best Actor honors at the Screen Actors Guild Awards, the Critics' Choice Movie Awards and the Hollywood Critics Association Awards.

This is the first time the film is available on Netflix. So if you've been waiting to see him, this cold November weekend might be just the time to grab that aforementioned box of tissues and get ready for a good scream. Aronofksy's other films include downers like Requiem for a dream (2000), Black Swan (2010) and the very bizarre psychological thriller pi (1998) among many others.

If you want something funnier and a little scarier for this Halloween/ Dia de los muertos Weekend, Jack Blacks' Goose flesh also just landed on Netflix. If you're interested in science fiction, you should check out Tom Cruise Oblivion. And for romantics, the classic Brat Pack film Sixteen candles also falls today.

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