It’s strange what we do for love.

In THE WHALE, Liz (Hong Chau, in one of the best supporting roles these eyes have ever seen), is the best friend and nurse who sacrifices her free time to take care of Charlie (Brendan Fraser), a 600-pound stubborn man who refuses to go to the hospital which could prolong his life if he does.

Aside from him sitting around and waiting to die while his friend Liz patiently tends to him and occasionally watches TV with him, he’s managed to get his daughter (Sadie Sink) to come to visit him with the promise he will give her all of his money and rewrite her English papers if she spends time with him. (After all, he’s an online English instructor with a “broken” webcam.) He abandoned his daughter and her mother when she was 8 (now 16), and he’s hoping he can make up for lost time before it’s too late. But, she’s at an age where she’s filled with teenage angst, so it’s not easy and sometimes tough to watch when she visits.

Charlie is a sweet, sweet man who sees the world for all its beauty and has not one mean bone in his body. Fraser has always played goofy characters. As Charlie, he wants you to know his acting range goes far beyond swinging on limbs and branches shirtless, holding a radio station hostage to get his rock music played, becoming the talk of the town when he’s thawed out of ice, and fighting mummies. Fraser disappears as a severely depressed, severely obese man with a plan and turns it into a riveting performance. As most film reviews will no doubt say, “his best role of all time.” There’s a reason you’ll read that a lot — it’s a fact.

The entirety of the film is set in Charlie’s claustrophobic apartment, like a play (which it’s actually based on by Samuel D. Hunter). I went into the film blind because it was my most anticipated film of the year (and not because it’s called THE WHALE), and wanted to see Fraser’s comeback without knowing much about the film. His renaissance has been a long time coming, it’s warranted, and he has had the support of fans and (a lot of) Hollywood. He deserved this win and harpooned it with THE WHALE. As Charlie, Fraser chews up every moment. I never thought I would watch a severely obese swallow a bucket of chicken and be able to stomach it. Or pizza with bologna. Or anything within his reach. I kept worrying the first victim in SE7EN would haunt me while watching this film, but it didn’t. Darren Aronofsky (co-writer director) puts us in Charlie’s frame of mind. We understand why he eats so much. We don’t pity this man because he’s obese, we love him because he’s brilliant and sees the world in a way most of the world dreams of. Charlie is full of awe and wonder.

If you ask Charlie why “he’s so fat,” he will tell you he lost someone he loved long ago and this is his way of dealing with it. Raise your hand if you’ve lost a loved one and dealt with it in a not-so-healthy way. I know I did and it cost me a lot.

Can’t help being sad for Charlie, not because of his grotesque physique, but because he sees the world with endless possibilities, smiles, and hope even though his whole life has crumbled years ago.

Despite his ruthless plight, Charlie still sees beauty through pain. Maybe we should, too.