A whale cannot swallow a human, let’s just get that out of the way. Their innards are just not big enough. They could swallow parts, perhaps, but we’re not exactly high on their menu. That said, it’s not completely impossible for an adult sperm whale to swallow a human whole (according to sciencenews.org). Thus is the basis for Whalefall. Having read the book, it was hard to imagine exactly how any filmmaker would bring such a visually incredible story to life, but then I remembered that filmmaking is magic (a science, really, but you know what I mean). Does Whalefall manage to follow through on its visual promise while also holding a compelling story, or is this one film likely to fall to the bottom of the ocean (box office) quite quickly?

Director: Brian Duffield
Writers: Brian Duffield, Daniel Kraus, based on the book by Kraus
Cast: Austin Abrams, Josh Brolin, Elisabeth Shue, John Ortiz, Jane Levy, Emily Rudd

Jay Gardiner (Abrams) has always had a strained relationship with his father Mitt (Brolin), at least to his recollection. Jay spent his young life reluctantly learning to dive from his ocean-loving and somewhat strict father before escaping to college. One year after Mitt decides to end his life on his own terms by drowning after being diagnosed with a terminal illness, Jay, despite his negative feelings toward his father and his absence during Mitt’s illness, decides to dive and search for Mitt’s remains. In doing so, he inadvertently ends up in the stomach of a sperm whale, where he desperately tries to find a way out while also coming to terms with his past.

This is one of those rare cases where I really feel pre-reading the book would assist in understanding the framework and genre of the film. Objectively, the film can come across as jarring because of the consistent flashbacks, and I also think a lot of people will go into it thinking it’s going to be an out-and-out horror (the trailer was a bit baitey for that), and though it certainly has thrilling and even horrific moments, it is not a horror in the strictest sense. Reading the book would help with knowing what you’re actually going into, which is a story about a young man’s reckoning with a father who was far from perfect (and knew it) but believed the way he raised his son helped Jay learn the hard lessons in life early and actually help him when he does eventually get into dire trouble, which ends up being Jay stuck inside a whale. Jay’s painful bid for freedom reflects his desperation to be out of Mitt’s grasp, with both his past and present beginning to fuse as he loses oxygen, and it’s done so beautifully with voiceovers from Brolin (I genuinely had goosebumps), the whale and the father becoming one in Jay’s mind. The film actually makes the strained relationship more coherent and has a stronger coming-of-age theme to it that ends in an emotional gut punch, in the best way.

Every bit of design on this film is staggering. From the scenes shot in water and the fake whale to the design of the whale itself, everything made for a truly immersive and at times terrifying experience (living in South Korea, where 4DX was first created, I couldn’t help but wonder what a 4D experience would be like for this film). The creation of the whale’s stomach(s) was a feat in itself. Don’t imagine a whale’s insides are cavernous with lots of space for a ship and plenty of oxygen to breathe (don’t let Pinocchio and Geppetto fool you); in fact, it appears to be a claustrophobe’s worst nightmare. Granted some liberties were probably taken (especially where lighting was concerned), but on the whole it made for a very believable and horrific survival thriller. The sound design worked fantastically in tandem with the visual effects of being in the whale to make it all the more immersive, and the score itself, especially in ocean-based scenes and a particular scene with multiple whales, was truly stunning, turning beautifully done imagery into a sequence you can’t tear your eyes (or ears) from. It almost becomes easy to forget Jay’s quandary when presented with something so visually and auditorily distracting. My only real gripe with the sound, and only true gripe with the film at large, was that a good chunk of dialogue was lost while Jay had his scuba mouthpiece in. The workaround could have been to have a voiceover for his thoughts, but maybe that would have been too strange.

I cannot imagine anyone but Austin Abrams in the role of Jay. He brings that perfect balance of drama injected with bouts of great comedic timing (as he displayed again recently in Resident Evil) and easily demonstrates Jay’s fear and grief. It’s highly likely, in my not-so-humble opinion, that the film may not have worked nearly as well without his commitment. Likewise, Josh Brolin brought Mitt to life almost exactly as I’d imagined in the book. Brolin portrays Mitt’s spiritual connection to the ocean and the life within it with ease, and some of the complexities of being a parent come through vividly via his performance. With an equally great supporting cast, this film’s legs come in huge part from its performers.

The final leg that really holds up the film comes from the fact that Daniel Kraus, the author of the book, collaborated with Duffield, as clearly Kraus is an author who understands enough about screenwriting (his past work with other directors shows this) and the need to change aspects to fit a movie, and his input helped retain the core of the story, something that a lot of book-to-film adaptations sadly lose. I don’t think Whalefall is going to do for whales what Jaws did for sharks, fortunately, but I do think it can open up some eyes not only to their own relationships but our collective relationship to the ocean and nature as a whole. I also truly believe this film should get all the awards: lead and supporting actor, sound design, visual effects, score, screenplay adaptation. I very much hope it doesn’t get looked over, as this has to be one of my favourite a most well-crafted films of the year.