Whalefall Review: Austin Abrams Battles A Whale’s Belly And His Father’s Ghost

Whalefall, directed by Brian Duffield, tells the tale of Jay Gardiner, portrayed by Austin Abrams, who finds himself in a perilous situation after an ill-fated dive encounters a sperm whale. This outlandish scenario, based on Daniel Kraus's novel, is handled with enough seriousness to keep the stomach churned despite the film's moments of patience-testing storytelling.

Jay, driven by a desire to find his late father, Mitt, a diver with whom he shared a troubled relationship, faces a series of gruesome obstacles within the whale's interior. These obstacles include hostile marine creatures, treacherous biological terrain, and dwindling air supply. While the premise is economical and Duffield effectively builds tension, the film struggles when it attempts to turn the ordeal into an extended exercise in filial reconciliation through flashbacks and conversations with the deceased father.

Despite these narrative challenges, Abrams delivers a remarkable performance, conveying panic, pain, and desperation through his eyes, labored breathing, and physical reactions. Constrained by his underwater environment, Abrams effectively conveys Jay's struggle, even when the screenplay offers little beyond suffering additional indignities.

Josh Brolin provides complexity to the character of Mitt, Jay's domineering and complex father. Brolin's portrayal injects vulnerability into the character, allowing for a nuanced explanation of Jay's conflicted attachment without absolving Mitt of his damaging actions. However, Elisabeth Shue, Jane Levy, and Emily Rudd have limited opportunities to develop Jay's family dynamics beyond their contributions to his grief.

The production design and visual effects create an unsettling aquatic nightmare, with the whale's vast interior offering a surreal setting for Jay's increasingly desperate attempts to escape. Cinematographer Aaron Morton emphasizes Jay's vulnerability against the surrounding mass, while the sound design and Joseph Trapanese's score supply urgency when the action becomes visually challenging to follow. However, some sequences are murky, sacrificing clarity for spectacle.

Overall, Whalefall offers genuine tension and moments of visual audacity, even if its emotional revelations are less convincing than its appetite for the grotesque. The film is worth a dive, provided the viewer can stomach the journey.