Whalefall
review by Bobby Blakey
Austin Abrams has been slowly making a name for himself with a great performance in Weapons and more recently Resident Evil. Now he is taking on the deep in the film Whalefall based on the 2023 novel of the same name by Daniel Kraus. The film co-stars Josh Brolin, Austin Abrams, Elisabeth Shue, and John Ortiz from No One Will Save You and Spontaneous director Brian Duffield. Could this film be worth the deep dive or should be swallowed whole?
Whalefall follows Jay Gardiner who goes diving off the central Coast of California following the death of his father, in search of his remains, but is swallowed by a massive sperm whale. While trapped inside its belly with only one hour of oxygen left, Jay comes to realize that the hard-earned lessons his father imparted may be the key to his escape.
From the first trailer of this film, I was all in and ready to see how they pulled this off. The claustrophobic nature of it all was enough to make it work if it managed to pull off the realism of the inside of this whale if handled right and they did just that. Interesting enough this is not only a survival film of man literally against beast and nature, but also one of a journey of love, loss and connection. Not all of it works seamlessly, but the film delivers overall.
The film takes just enough time to set the tone of the story to come without getting too bogged down before letting us get to it all. The film continues to tell the story of Jay and his father’s dysfunctional relationship through flashbacks that work for the most part to break up the tension of his circumstance, but also things he learned and the realizations he is dealing with. It gets a little sappy in the final act feeling more forced convenience to hope for survival but still works fine.
This is yet another impressive performance from Abrams who once again has to carry the movie all on his own. With very little dialogue, having to stay confined in these tight spaces, in the water and a breathing hose for almost the whole film is a feat in itself. He manages to get all his emotions and struggles across through facial expressions and various sounds just as effectively as when he can talk, which is mostly to himself.
The visuals are spectacular throughout both inside and outside of the whale. This film doesn’t work if you can’t buy into the look and feel of inside the whale and all its varied crevices. It would be interesting to see the details about not just filming but researching the anatomy of the whale to develop these effects and sets.
If you are claustrophobic or fear anything involving water or the ocean then this film might trigger you at times, but it does a good job balancing it all to keep you invested. It is a brave swing that pays off and makes for a compelling film with more layers and whale intestines than you might expect.
Decide for yourself and check out Whalefall in theaters now from 20th Century Studios.