Brendan Fraser is nearly unrecognizable in the new trailer to Darren Aronofsky’s The Whale. Despite extensive prosthetics and a fat suit that turned The Mummy movie star into the morbidly obese, gay college professor he plays in the film, Fraser’s performance shines through, and many believe it will lead him to Oscar gold this year.

“Do you ever get the feeling people are incapable of not caring?” Fraser’s Charlie says, tears in his eyes and an oxygen tube under his nose.

As he watches the world from his window and flashes back to memories of his estranged daughter when she was a child, his terminally ill character continues, “People are amazing.”

The trailer intercuts scenes from the Black Swan director’s film with glowing review blurbs on Fraser’s “utter triumph” on screen. The movie has already earned him a marathon-standing ovation at the Venice Film Festival and awards from the Toronto and Santa Barbara International Film Festivals.

Sadie Sink stars as Charlie’s now-adult daughter Ellie, with whom he’s trying to make amends. The film, which also stars Samantha Morton, Hong Chau, and Ty Simpkins, hits theaters December 9.

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