The Chonnam Tribune has published this page in collaboration with the members of student clubs at Chonnam National University since 2022. The seventh club is International Relations Study that is a club of the Dept. of Political Science and International Relations founded in 2002. – Ed.

By International Relations Study

Charlie: Listen to me. I need to make certain that she's gonna be okay.
We can't give up on* her.

From The Whale

*Give up on: "Give up on" means to abandon or relinquish hope or expectations in someone or something. "Give up" and "give up on" have similar meanings, but there is a slight difference between them. "Give up" typically means to cease efforts or endeavors, to quit, or to relinquish, while "give up on" emphasizes abandoning hope or expectations. "I've given up on finding my lost keys," is an example.

“The Whale” is about the protagonist of the film “Charlie,” a homosexual and morbidly obese college instructor who teaches online writing courses. One day, a missionary named “Thomas” finds Charlie in pain and is asked to read aloud an essay about the novel “Moby Dick”. After Charlie’s personal nurse, Liz, arrives to take care of him, he tells Thomas that he wanted to die while listening to it. Despite Liz’s warnings to go to the hospital, Charlie refuses and contacts his daughter, Ellie, in hopes to reconnect with her after many years. The story unfolds between Ellie, who hates Charlie because he abandoned her because of a man, and Charlie, who wants to be forgiven and saved. Brandan Fraser who stars as Charlie won the best actor Oscar for the movie at the Academy Awards in March 2023.

Movie Review
Kang Yeon-oh: The film shows that even in a life filled with hatred and darkness, there exists a glimmer of hope and salvation. Also, I was able to sense the complex emotions of love and hatred that exist between children and parents. It was not easy to find the intention of the movie, but on the other hand, it was fun to find and interpret the hidden meaning of the movie. ★★★

Kim Ji-hwan: This movie is impressive in various ways, and I was particularly touched by two aspects. One is the realistic acting of the actor who plays Charlie. He is a character with a massive physique, and it felt as though an actual person was standing before me due to the actor's convincing breath control and emotional performance. The second aspect is the atmosphere. Despite the lack of overtly scary or repulsive scenes, there is still a sense of tension and eeriness. This is likely due to the appropriate background music and the narrative used during the scenes, which deeply immersed the audience in the story. ★★★★

Park Su-bin: This movie made me think a lot about the relationship between parents and their children. It was impressive to see Charlie decide to die and try to communicate with his daughter. It is a movie where you can think about honesty and communication. ★★★★

Oh Seung-ji: It seems deeply related to “Moby Dick” by Herman Melville. The movie says that life is meaningless anyway, but when I started to add meaning to it, I decided to divide it into different sides. I hope that we will all experience such moments in our lives like the ending that fits the movie perfectly. ★★★★