Claustrophobic, emotional, survival, aquatic. Our JP gives his take on “Whalefall,” starring Austin Abrams and Josh Brolin.
Whalefall (20th Century Studios)
- Directed by Brian Duffield
- Screenplay by Brian Duffield, Daniel Kraus
- Based on Whalefall by Daniel Kraus
- Produced by Brian Grazer, Brian Duffield, Jeb Brody, Allan Mandelbaum
- Starring Austin Abrams, Josh Brolin., Elisabeth Shue, John Ortiz
Studio Synopsis:
From 20th Century Studios and Imagine Entertainment comes “Whalefall,” an epic and emotional survival thriller about one young man’s encounter with a massive sperm whale. The film, which is directed by Brian Duffield and features a screenplay by Brian Duffield & Daniel Kraus based on the book by Daniel Kraus by the same name, stars Austin Abrams, Josh Brolin, Elisabeth Shue, John Ortiz, Jane Levy, Emily Rudd. The producers are Brian Grazer, Brian Duffield, Jeb Brody, Allan Mandelbaum, with Doug Merrifield, Richard Abate, Will Rowbotham serving as executive producers. Following the death of his father (Josh Brolin), Jay Gardiner (Austin Abrams) goes diving off the central Coast of California 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.
J.P.’s Take:
If you’re familiar with the biblical parable of Jonah and the giant fish (in other tellings of the story, the fish is replaced with a whale), you may think “Whalefall” is a modern-day retelling of the story. In many aspects, the ideology is practically the same. In the Book of Jonah, God commanded a massive fish to swallow Jonah as a consequence of his disobedience to divine law. Jonah spent three days inside the belly of this beastly fish, praying and repenting, and in the end he was redeemed.
For “Whalefall,” the same principles apply to the story of a young man named Jay Gardiner (Austin Abrams), who is trying to escape his father’s tyranny. The bond between his father, Mitt Gardiner (Josh Brolin), a passionate scuba diver, and his son is strained; Mitt’s intense love for the sea and its creatures creates a toxic dynamic in their relationship. This tale is spun with a fresh perspective, reflecting on these principles with a sense of hindsight.
What sets the stage here is Jay feeling the loss of his father, having an epiphany, and deciding to dive again for the first time to recover his father’s remains at the bottom of the Monterey Bay. Once he reaches that deep, dark canyon, he reaches the point of no return, and a huge Sperm whale swallows him whole. Jay’s mother, Zara Gardiner (Elizabeth Shue), and his sisters Eva (Jane Levy) and Nan (Emily Rudd) are none the wiser about his plan.
The real action kicks off when Jay finds himself inside the whale. Realizing this event puts him in a state of shock, to the point where there is no dialogue, just grunts and wails from him. If you’ve never seen the digestive tract of a whale before, this is where things get a bit disgusting. However, it’s also intriguing, because you’d never think someone would find themselves swimming, squirming, and fighting their way through the innards of such a creature. And thank goodness the filmmakers paid attention to science, lighting those scenes with bioluminescent water, as seen in nature. The practical effects and sets in this production are really impressive, especially with the creation of a massive whale that stands 12 feet tall and stretches 18 feet long. And the scenes on land were beautifully filmed in Monterey, California.
The drama doesn’t really get going until midway, when Jay is at his wits’ end and is struggling to find his way out of this beast altogether. Within the first moments, he’s swallowed up along with a rather large squid, which also nags at him from within the belly of the whale. It becomes somewhat of a creature feature. Near the last half of this misadventure, when Jay learns he’s about to be fully digested, the voice of his father rings softly in his ear, as to say, “Remember when…?” The full backstory of their tumultuous relationship unfolds through quick snippets and flashbacks that are woven together seamlessly.
At times, the tonal shifts between the scenes inside the whale and the drama unfolding outside can feel a bit off. As Jay pondered his fate trapped in the depths of a giant sea creature, it appeared that his family on shore was surprisingly unfazed. Inside the whale, it seemed like the filmmakers had the chance to take a darker, more graphic approach to the story, but they chose to play it safe instead.
“Whalefall” is a fascinating tale that originates from the creative mind of author/filmmaker Daniel Krause, who wrote the novel and co-wrote the screenplay with writer/director Brian Duffield. They bring us an unconventional and revealing significance to the title, which connects to the journey of Jay and Mitt’s plight. I have to hand it to Krause and Duffield for their unique approach to their story.
Official Site: Whalefall
