This is a strong movie. Solid film. First off - not a drama. It's a thriller with elements of horror. Yes, slow burning at start. Blame Melville I guess. Second - acting is incredibly strong. Third - completely agree with fellow reviewer. If you can get thru first half-ish you'll be rewarded with: Fourth - astonishing ending. Well, within the paradigm of course, but still. It was a 6/10 film going into ending. Fifth - solid sevener, 7/10. Just be sure to watch it on a right day in a right mood. It's not an action nor a comedy. Hidden gem indeed.

I hadn't heard a single thing about this and watched it on a whim. It's atmospheric, beautifully shot and lit, and contains wonderful acting that deserves to be seen. A big slam against the patriarchy, as well as a clever script overall. I particularly enjoyed Nicole Starrett's performance as the type of character you'd normally see a much more one dimensional portrayal of in a film of this genre, but she brings a layer to it that is at times unsettling yet also sympathetic.

I'm probably a bit harsh with my rating for this movie (my wife scored it a seven) but it's a movie I wouldn't watch again and those are always rated lesser than a seven by me. That said The Mad Whale isn't a bad movie, far from that, it's just the subject matter that is not really my thing, Herman Melville's 'Moby Dick' isn't my idea of fun and entertainment and even though not the whole movie is about that it still has a big part in it. I find that weird English not attractive to listen to, let alone watching a play in that tone. The Mad Whale is still good though, and that's mostly due to the excellent acting and the good directing. Let's just say it will please a lot of people, but I'm okay with watching it just once.