Venice Film Festival: traffic jam, stars and a whale in the lagoon

A regatta temporarily interrupted the arrival of the stars via water taxi yesterday. They still made it to the premieres. Brandon Fraser (53, “The Mummy”) was assigned to show on the red carpet in Venice. In Darren Aronofsky’s (53, “Mother!”, “The Wrestler”) film “The Whale” the actor celebrated a comeback in the limelight following a turbulent year. The drama is a heavyweight highlight at the halfway point of the festival. Fraser embodies Charly, whose obesity is a symptom of his emotional pain. Unlike many a European film on the Lido, Aronofsky makes no great secret of it in his adaptation of the play. What is astonishing regarding “The Whale” is how daring the performers put themselves in the danger of being ridiculous – and come out unscathed as serious figures. The family drama constantly breaks with the kitsch with fine humor, but does not hold back with great feelings. The audience acknowledged this with tears and much applause; not least thanks to Fraser’s performance. It is quite possible that the whale will get a lion.