10 Best Movies Like The Whale (2025)

Darren Aronofsky's new psychological drama The Whale opens on December 9, 2022. The movie has been hailed for the excellent comeback performance from Brendan Fraser as Charlie, a morbidly obese English teacher struggling with an eating disorder following the death of a loved one while trying to reconnect with his estranged daughter.

A deeply emotional tale of personal affliction and the quest for redemption, The Whale joins a rich tradition of movies that explore characters grappling with personal demons, existential angst, pain, guilt, grief, etc., ultimately finding the strength to accept who they are and find a ray of hope.

Ikiru (1952)

Available On HBO Max

One of the most influential psychological dramas on record, Akira Kurosawa's highly-acclaimed movie Ikiru follows Kanji, a 30-year government worker who lives a boring, repetitive lifestyle very much like Charlie in The Whale, which has made him depressed despite his former lust for life. When Kanji learns he has terminal stomach cancer, he vows to make the most of his remaining time on Earth by spending precious last moments with his son while reflecting on his legacy.

The remarkable thing about The Whale is how Charlie remains optimistic despite his self-destructive tendencies. For Kanji, it takes a while for him to accept his fate, but when he does, he understands that what he leaves behind is just as important as the time he spent living.

Heathers (1989)

Available On Prime Video

At first blush, Heathers has little to do with The Whale. Digging deeper beyond the eating disorder the cliquey teens at Westerburg High deal with, the subplot involving the obese bullied character Martha "Dumptruck" Dunnstock and the redemptive solace she finds in Veronica is quite reminiscent of Charlie and Liz's bond in The Whale.

Martha becomes so despondent for being bullied because of her weight that she attempts to walk into traffic. Thankfully, Veronica disavows the popular Heathers and sticks up for Martha in a redemptive, big-hearted ending that proves it's not how people look, it's what they do that matters most.

What's Eating Gilbert Grape (1993)

Available On HBO Max

Few movies are able to capture the sense of despair and existential unease of The Whale as What's Eating Gilbert Grape, Lasse Hallstrom's acclaimed tale of a young man trapped looking after his morbidly obese mother and neurodivergent little brother in rural Iowa. Momma is so big she is unable to leave the house, forcing Gilbert to arrange his entire life around her schedule.

Like The Whale, What's Eating Gilbert Grape does not judge its characters but rather honors them with great respect and tender compassion. Gilbert is everything Ellie should be, sacrificing his own happiness to ensure his mother and brother's safety until he meets a carefree spirit who helps him finally escape and find redemption.

Affliction (1997)

Not Currently Streaming

Another haunting character study of a man grappling with his heart and soul, Paul Schrader's superb directorial effort in Affliction follows Wade Whitehouse, a small-town sheriff struggling to connect with his estranged daughter Jill while grappling with his own personal demons, including his disapproving father and a secret crime he committed. Wade's personal descent into painful despair as a result of his own harmful doing makes his quest for redemption just as powerful as Charlie in The Whale.

Much like Fraser's commanding performance, Nick Nolte earned rave reviews for his turn in Affliction, with James Coburn's similar comeback performance as Wade's father earning an Oscar for Best Actor in a Supporting Role. For those willing to take another difficult heartfelt journey of a man on the brink, Affliction is strong as they come.

The Wrestler (2008)

Available On HBO Max

For all the rave reviews The Whale has received, one criticism is that Aronofsky tends to repeat characters and subplots from his previous films. Case in point, The Wrestler also focuses on a self-destructive protagonist desperately trying to patch things up with his estranged daughter. The story follows Randy the Ram Robinson, a washed-up pro Wrestler scraping a meager existence on the fringes of the sport as he attempts a rousing comeback.

However, the truly remarkable aspect of The Wrestler, aside from Mickey Rourke's stirring comeback performance on par with Fraser's, is how Randy has the wisdom to know that redemption isn't in the cards for him, with acceptance being the only way out of his lot in life. While Aronofsky may be repeating themes and tropes, The Wrestler still resonates as a truly special psychological drama.

Precious (2009)

Available On Peacock

Lee Daniels' powerful, award-winning drama Precious follows the title character, a bullied, overweight, pregnant teen who lives on welfare while looking after her neurodivergent child, Mongo. It all sounds as drearily depressing and as hard to watch as The Whale, yet somehow, the unbreakable spirit and redemption Precious finds to better her life is as real, relatable, and easy to root for as Charlie's

Precious is both heart-shattering and heartwarming at once, earning honest moments of sympathetic pathos thanks to the towering performance by Gabourey Sidibe in her screen debut. Challenging and rewarding in equal measure, Precious is a reminder that it's not where you begin in life, but it's where you end up that matters most.

Shame (2011)

Not Currently Streaming

While veering into steamy, erotic territory, Steve McQueen's Shame is another gripping psychological drama about a man's spiraling self-destructive addiction. In this case, Brandon is a craven sex addict who is forced to confront his own guilt, shame, remorse, and uncontrollable carnal cravings when his troubled sister Sissy shows up.

The movie has been praised for Michael Fassbender's commanding performance as Brandon, the sense of embarrassment and regret that he begins to feel, and the internal struggles he battles with despite his handsome outward appearance. Deep down, Brandon is just as broken as Charlie, with both resigned to accepting who they are before they can try to make sweeping life changes.

The Master (2012)

Available On Tubi

Paul Thomas Anderson's psychological drama The Master is an unforgettably challenging cinematic experience not unlike The Whale. Naval officer Freddie Quell's profound sense of alienation following WWII leads to a dependence on alcohol and poisonous home-brewed potions, which further amplifies his sense of anxiety, despair, and self-harming behavior. It isn't until Quell meets the charismatic cult leader Lancaster Dodd that he begins to find meaning in life.

Beyond the exquisite performance by Joaquin Phoenix as Quell, The Master is a difficult movie for serious adult audiences, with impeccable technical arthouse flourishes sure to appeal to what Aronofsky has done with The Whale. Most pertinently, both stories have two profoundly wounded souls who accept that they need help to make positive change.

Swallow (2019)

Available On AMC+

Another riveting psychological drama about an eating disorder, Swallow follows Hunter, a deeply unhappy housewife who develops a strange addiction to swallowing inedible household items when she becomes pregnant. Much like Charlie in The Whale, Hunter's condition has less to do with her desire to actually eat than it does with her pain and unhappiness that comes from a stifling domestic existence in an unhappy marriage.

The psychologically hampering malaise Hunter feels while trapped in a dead-end marriage leads her to develop Pica, the compulsive eating disorder of ingesting inedible objects. A fascinating examination of how people cope with grief differently, Swallow and The Whale are simpatico indeed.

The Father (2020)

Available On Starz

Anchored by Anthony Hopkins' Oscar-winning movie performance, The Father is a must-see psychological drama for fans of The Whale. Hopkins plays the titular patriarch, who stubbornly refuses to accept he has dementia and angrily denies his care from estranged daughter Anne. Over time, Anthony accepts his condition, resigns to his fate, makes familial connections, and finds a sense of peaceful healing.

As a deeply sympathetic chamber piece that puts viewers in the shoes of another with a grave affliction, few movies allow the audience to identify with and understand the internal struggles everybody faces at some point in life. A story of human connection triumphing over personal demons, The Father is as life-affirming as it gets.

NEXT: Darren Aronofsky's Top 10 Films, Ranked (According To Rotten Tomatoes)