Whalefall (2026 | USA | 106 minutes | Brian Duffield)
Imagine going for a dive to reclaim your father’s remains supposedly near shore, but instead ending up in the belly of a whale in a matter of moments. It’s not some sea shanty… it’s a real thing thanks to writer David Krauss and writer-director Brian Duffield. Jay Gardner (Austin Abrams) has never had what you’d consider a good relationship with his father. Always being harassed for not following in his footsteps or at the very least chided on to appreciate nature in the intense, nearly fanatical way, his old man did. Before an aggressive form of cancer could take his life, Jay’s dad Mitt (Josh Brolin) left on his own terms without actually saying goodbye. The inner turmoil that kept eating away at Jay finally got the best of him and pushed him to go on an impulsive dive to find any remains for a proper burial of the man that both encouraged and antagonized him most of his life. Just as he thought he’d found what he was looking for, out of nowhere a sperm whale on the hunt for a giant squid swallows up his prey and Jay at the same time leaving him (and us) in an overwhelming state.
Basically it’s Moby Dick visually bigger than life and terrifyingly tight quarters with only a single tank of air to keep him alive. The audience gets a front row seat for the thoughtful rumination of a man with mere minutes to live. In this time of regrets and fears, he focuses on the relationship with his father. The story originated as a book, so it seems pretty obvious the author (and Whalefall film co-writer) David Krauss had some things to work through and here it is on a giant screen so we can take in every moment of it as if it were our own. Quite literally the audience witnessed minute by minute a man’s life ticking closer to its end while he was held captive in a fleshy, toxic and terrifyingly claustrophobic prison. Amidst the panic inducing, life-threatening events was a slow and emotionally gut-wrenching journey to figuring out how to love a father that never seemed satisfied and love himself no matter what path forward he would be taking.
Just as you’d expect from the director of Cocaine Bear (if you haven’t seen it, Whalefall will probably tell you a lot about how that one goes too) there are emotional arcs along with insane situations that you could never expect to find yourself in. Not sure how others wend their way through, but I was left wondering what I’d do if it were me. With almost one-hundred percent certainty, I would have been crushed or killed within the first few minutes, but that’s not a fun or interesting story. There were definitely some liberties taken, some stretching of imagination, some “that was waaay too lucky” moments, but it wouldn’t have worked without those so I’ll give it a pass. If I were offered the option to watch Whalefall again? I don’t think I’d take it, but I’m not worse off for having seen it the first time. If you love thrillers with an unclear villain (or no villain at all) and a lot of emotional turmoil then this is the one for you.
Whalefall arrives in theaters on 10/16