Brendan Fraser received a standing ovation at basically all of them (six minutes long at Venice) for his leading performance in Darren Aronofsky’s adaptation of the Samuel D. Hunter play. The drama centres on an English teacher struggling through grief, trying to forge a relationship with his teenage daughter (Sadie Sink), and grappling with a life-threatening eating disorder.
The film has seen a significant amount of critical discussion (with some critics notably using fatphobic language) and backlash against the fact that Fraser wears a “fat suit” to play the protagonist. Notably, Fraser has said in a Vanity Fair interviewthat he worked with Obesity Action Coalition to develop his character mindfully.