How exactly can a movie whose premise boils down ‘man gets swallowed by whale’ pack such an emotional wallop? Astonishingly, Whalefall, from director/co-writer Brian Duffield (The Babysitter, Spontaneous, Love & Monsters) accomplishes just that. Austin Abrams has done the whole body horror struggle for survival before, quite recently in fact. Just last month, he led Zach Cregger’s video game reboot, Resident Evil, and totally stole the show. Now, he ends up quite literally in the belly of the beast. Blending disturbing body horror with an intimate story of grief and guilt, Whalefall proves that in the face of death, maybe we can find a reason to live again.
After his father’s untimely death, Jake (Abrams) is committed to recovering his body from the water to properly lay the man to rest. There’s just one little problem: a massive sperm whale, attempting to gobble up a giant squid, slurps Jake down into his bowels too. With his oxygen tank a ticking time bomb, Jake must somehow figure out how to survive inside the enormous whale long enough to make it out alive. Whalefall‘s practical effects are absolutely spectacular, particularly as Jake explores the whale’s grotesque interior. Every fleshy surface and cramped passageway makes the environment feel disturbingly real. In horror terms, it’s like a feature-length version of Nope‘s most memorable scene, where the “UFO” slowly devours everyone it has sucked inside.
The whale itself serves as a claustrophobic nightmare, yet the greatest asset is the emotional connection between Jake and his father (Josh Brolin). The sharp script really takes time establishing both the stakes and the complicated relationship between them. It also effectively builds out their bond through the use of flashbacks while Jake desperately struggles to stay alive. Rather than interrupting the action, these glimpses to the past flow seamlessly, ultimately enriching our understanding of the unresolved feelings that drive Jake forward. The deeper Jake pushes into the whale, the further Whalefall explores Jake’s memories. Only someone who has lost a loved one will be able to feel the heavy weight Jake carries, having never said a proper goodbye to his father when he had the chance.
The use of Jake’s father as the whale’s inner voice feels special, transforming both the situation and the whale itself into a meaningful avenue to explore Jake’s character arc. This inspired touch blurs the lines between Jake’s present reality and the complexity of his father/son dynamic that Jake still has not fully processed. What could have been an unintentionally silly storytelling device instead becomes one of the film’s most poignant themes, a sort of physical manifestation of everything Jake has been avoiding. Abrams himself is absolutely fantastic, delivering a performance that serves to anchor even the most outrageous moments with genuine authenticity. Abrams continues proving himself as a compelling genre lead, perhaps even a new horror scream king. He easily balances the physical desperation with vulnerability. With so much time strictly devoted to Jake’s journey, Abrams makes that investment feel effortless. Each shrieking scream or moan of pain feels painfully realistic. Duffield leans into the body horror elements to make every scratch and crunch of Jake’s body fully tangible.
The almost mythological nature of the story adds an extra dose of thematic understanding to this tale of disturbing aquatic horror. That the script so easily manages to juggle multiple elements, easily flourishing in the space between dramedy and true horror, is a definite surprise. The concept could have collapsed under the weight of its own ambitions; instead, Duffield and co-writer Daniel Kraus unearth the enormous beating heart at the center of their staggeringly magnificent creature. With Austin Abrams delivering another outstanding role in one of his best performances to date and the heartbreaking trauma of losing a parent, Whalefall is far more than forgettable October chum.
Go deep into the guts of the sea with Whalefall, now playing in theaters worldwide.
