The Ghost and the Whale

source: The Ghost and the Whale

The Ghost and the Whale is a unique and engrossing independent effort. Part sensitive melodrama concerning bipolar disorder and part intense thriller - this always surprising tale is a rewarding watch for indie film enthusiasts. The legendary Jonathan Pryce voices the titular whale who is a metaphorical crutch and a personification of the mental illness of protagonist Joseph (played by Maurice Benard) who struggles with bipolar disorder and the inability to remember exactly what happened to his wife who disappeared while they were on a sailboat years back. Everyone in the small town of Bodega Bay struggles with the disappearance of Benard's wife in different ways. Especially her clan of dysfunctional family members. Directors Anthony and James Gaudioso populate this East Coast family thriller with a bakers dozen of memorable and authentic supporting characters. However, the stand-outs are the Gaudioso twins themselves who play intrepid investigative reporter Ed Hale (James Gaudioso)---who is trying to get to the bottom of the disappearance of Benard's wife and the hulking Jack Lee (Anthony Gaudioso) Benard's psychopathic brother-in-law with only revenge on his mind. James' reporter Ed Hale strikes the perfect balance of inquisitiveness and empathy and truly is the sympathetic heart of the film. His performance is endearing, relatable, tragic, and redemptive. James' brother (and co-director and screenwriter) Anthony also has a star-making turn as the recently paroled Jack Lee. He crafts an iconic performance with notes of Robert De Niro's Max Cady and Tom Hardy's Bane. Gaudioso chews the scenery every moment he's onscreen in a tour-de-force performance that is equal parts bravado and melancholy. As most indie cinema these days cranks out predictable and cookie-cutter narratives TG&TW is a refreshing combo of heartfelt redemption, bitter family drama, small-town mystery, and violent conflict that will stay with you long after the credits roll.

I loved this movie so much. It's an incredibly written narrative which shines a much needed light on mental illness like so few films have done. The fact that Anthony Gaudioso wasn't nominated for an Oscar is literally shocking to me. This actor gained over 60 pounds for the role, wore colloidal silver on his face for 2 months as well as spoke in a coastal inflection. The fact that Hollywood didn't recognize him is NUTS. Jonathan Pryce is stellar as the Whale offering a stirring narrative. Monica Keena turns in a hauntingly broken performance as does Maurice Benard. Dominic Bogart is a notable mention as the embittered brother of Gaudioso's menacing turn as Lee.

Like Cummings, the Gaudioso Twins combine genuine charismatic personas with exceptional talent as both actors and filmmakers. With The Ghost and the Whale, they have crafted a deeply personal, empathetic and thrilling drama that takes a man's struggle with loss, memory, and mental health and contrasts it with a dogged reporter, turning over stones he shouldn't, in relentless pursuit of the truth. There is sincerity ringing throughout, a reflection of both the core values of the filmmakers and the grounded, yet still wonderfully surprising, script by Anthony Gaudioso. These are filmmaker's filmmakers, and actor's actors. As a nod to the Bodega Bay shooting location made famous by Hitchcock, Tippi Hedren makes a memorable cameo. Johnathan Pryce is at his philosophical and whimsical best voicing the whale. Anthony Gaudioso is a bombastic and provocative villain, and James Gaudioso is the lightning rod that grounds an electric ensemble. This film is an early work from filmmakers to be reckoned with now and for years to come.

At the core of the film is an interesting mystery: Did Joseph Hawthorne kill his wife? He's a troubled guy, after all, off his meds and struggling to remember the day she disappeared. It's easy to believe he definitely did crime, and it's easy to believe he definitely didn't. That's where the fun of the film's earliest minutes lies. The best moments in this film, though, are those involving the character Jack. He generates so much suspense, oh my god. He's eerie from the moment he appears squeezing the spike on a barbed wire fence, and then just fun-to-watch psychotic as he conducts a revenge mission. He's one of those characters you can't wait to see on screen again, but then when he appears, you kind of dread it because you know everyone is in danger. There's a scene with him and his family in a park that's incredibly intense, evil, and well-performed. My heartrate jacked so high I must've burned 100 calories. Another highlight includes Dusty Lee, Jack's sister. She's believably creepy and in a lot of the film's most fun scenes. Just a nice spark to Jack's flame. Also, shoutout to poor Ed Hale, who just wants to write an interesting story for the newspaper and ends up having, like, the worst two weeks ever. Enjoyed the film. The characters speak a lot of the subtext, and some of the relationships would've benefitted from a little more screen time and room to develop, but when the 100 minutes were all over, I was glad I took the journey.

It was an excellent thiller. Using Tippi Hedren as a come on with the birds in opener was just a shill come on. Other than that it held my attention. Jonathan Pryce was perfect for his role.

Beginning with an Edgar Allen Poe quote and having been filmed in the same town as Hitchcock's "The Birds," it is clear that this movie is going to take you on a thrilling journey. And that it did. Seemingly innocent at first, journalist Ed Hale (played by the talented James Gaudioso) comes to town to cover a theater production story. But we quickly find out that in actuality, he has come to uncover the truth about the death of a woman, and the husband that was left behind. The wife's family, made up of miscreant personalities, believes that the husband, Joseph Hawthorne, had something to do with it. One especially so, Jack Lee, who is unsettling and terrifying, only so because of Anthony Gaudioso's striking, formidable, and incredible performance. Joseph Hawthorne is haunted by his wife Annabelle's death, as he is unsure of what happened and if he actually played a part in it. Joseph struggles with bipolar disorder (accurately and wonderfully played by Maurice Benard), going through manic episodes where he plays out that day on the boat and even imagines Annabelle, "The Ghost," in front of him at home. His conversations with "The Whale," voiced by the incomparable Jonathan Pryce, is his way of processing what happened and whether it was him who killed Annabelle, or it was the whale that led her to fall into the ocean. Jack and the other Lee family members go on a bit of a rampage, violently assaulting the journalist Ed and even setting their cousin Mitch's barn on fire with him in it. They are firm in their belief that Joseph killed their sister and that this journalist is bringing up things they don't want to hear. As Mitch says, they don't want to hear the truth that it was an accident. They won't believe it, even if someone in their own family says so. People sometimes will go to extraordinary lengths to hide their grief, and the Lee family does just that. This ultimately leads to a showdown of sorts between Jack, Joseph, and Ed. Jack, haven taken Joseph's new friend Sweetie, mocks him by standing with her in the ocean while he frighteningly teeters at the shoreline. Jack then pushes her aside and attacks Joseph, and begin to fight. Ed, meanwhile, is up on the dune shotgun in hand, waiting for a clear shot. When an opportunity appears, he pulls the trigger and shoots Jack dead. It is then that Joseph gets clarity -- Annabelle's death was an accident after all -- and he makes peace with the ocean, walking into it to join his friend "The Whale." The ocean's duality, functioning in both a destructive and healing nature, is important, especially with it being a quaint seaside town, the two being connected like one lung to the other. The townspeople and the ocean coexist with each other. Writers have always used that relationship, as does Anthony Gaudioso in this beautiful, riveting story. As someone who grew up in a seaside town, I thoroughly enjoyed this film and its off-kiltered way of showing the importance of truth, the multiple facets of grief, and the way a town will hide them both.

On the one hand the first half of the movie was a very intreguing setup with nearly every dramatic interaction in every scene very well acted and played out satisfying. But on the other hand the last 40 minutes turned into some kinda unbelievable thriller/cat & mouse action scenes which, when paired with the first half of the movie, kinda left a "huh?" feeling in me since the setup seemed like it was going a different direction. And definitely my fault but once I realized, about halfway through the movie mind you, that all the stuff with Joseph wasn't taking place in the past but actually in real time along with all the other characters left me super confused because wouldn't the family just go after him and make him pay??!? versus going through all the other stuff like torturing the reporter very randomly and terrorizing the doctor? It just didn't make any sense. If the family has a problem with him they hardly seem like the type to go causing problems with innocent people. That's just my take away. All the dramatic scenes were very nicely acted. Honestly if the last half played out differently I would have rated it higher. Just know this is based on content, not the fact that this is clearly not a big budget movie. It is very well done regardless

Maurice Benard is my favorite actor.. and his performance in this movie is nothing less than phenomenal. The depths of emotion and mental awareness challenge the character in ways that the town looks at him negatively. Check out this movie and see what happens as a man struggles with himself and the outlook of others. I loved this movie... it's deep.

An exceptional film, largely overlooked upon it's initial release. It was recommended to me by my acting teacher for, as he put it, "A great film, created by real story tellers" . Agreed. The performance by director, Anthony Gaudioso alone was spectacular. One of the top villains I've seen in cinema. Terrifying when you look at what he looks like in real life, to what he became. Well done. The film is a staunch, unflinching look at love, loss and fate. Exceptional writing and masterful directing by The Twins. It's high concept in a relatable story. You really have to pay attention to to appreciate. References to the great Edgar Allen Poe, Melville and Hitchcock. Notable performances by the cast round out this ensemble, most specifcally, brother - James Gaudioso, Kelley Ann Flynn & Tim Brennen 100% recommend.