Having literally just finished reading Daniel Kraus’s fantastic novel Whalefall before seeing Brian Duffield’s film adaptation, I went into this one hoping it would do justice to one of the most insane survival stories I’ve read in a while. And honestly? It fucking delivers.
Do I think the book is better? Yeah, I’d say so. But not by much.
The story follows Jay Gardner (Austin Abrams), who, still grappling with the loss of his father, Mitt (Josh Brolin), to suicide, goes diving in search of his remains. Things take a pretty fucking wild turn when Jay encounters a giant squid being hunted by an enormous sperm whale and ends up swallowed whole. With roughly 60 minutes of air left in his tank, Jay has to figure out how the hell he’s going to get out alive. Sounds pretty awesome, right? It is.
One of the biggest challenges with adapting this novel is its structure. The book constantly jumps between Jay’s increasingly desperate fight for survival inside the whale and flashbacks to his complicated relationship with his father. The chapters are short, the tension is relentless, and every precious minute of air brings Jay closer to death while forcing him to confront the emotional baggage he’s carried for years. The film understandably streamlines some of this material, and while the emotional storyline still works, I don’t think it quite reaches the same depth as the book.
Mitt is an abusive, antagonistic, often downright cruel father, but he’s also a complicated man who loves the ocean, respects aquatic life, and desperately wants to pass everything he knows on to his son. That contradiction is what makes their relationship so compelling, and I wish the movie had a little more time to let it breathe. That said, Josh Brolin is fucking fantastic. He absolutely nails the hardened asshole dad who can be both deeply knowledgeable and incredibly damaging to the people he loves. Austin Abrams is equally terrific, carrying the overwhelming majority of this movie on his shoulders as Jay goes through what might genuinely be the worst day of his entire life. Abrams has been putting his characters through the absolute wringer lately, and Whalefall is another excellent showcase for him.
But let’s talk about the whale itself, because if you can’t make being trapped inside a giant whale believable, there’s really no point in making this movie. Thankfully, Duffield and his team pull it off tremendously. The claustrophobia is REAL. If you have a problem with confined spaces, this movie might be your worst nightmare. Jay isn’t just hanging out inside a whale waiting for someone to rescue him. He’s navigating a disgusting, hellish environment where everything is trying to kill him. His body is breaking down, bones are breaking, ribs are cracking, his hands are melting, and every new obstacle makes his situation somehow even more horrifying. The movie captures the physical brutality of the book in a way that genuinely impressed me.
And the production design is a huge reason why it works. The filmmakers built small, confined sets for Abrams to physically inhabit, and it makes all the difference. Rather than feeling like we’re watching an actor on a green screen, it genuinely feels like he’s trapped inside something. The environments look and feel tangible, the sound design is remarkable, and the whole experience is immersive in the most uncomfortable way possible. This is the sort of movie where the practical work really pays off.
It’s also surprisingly funny at times. There’s something inherently absurd about this entire situation, and the movie knows how to capitalize on it without undermining the tension. Austin Abrams screaming, “I’m inside the whale!” is an absolutely hilarious moment. You’re watching this guy endure unimaginable physical torture, and every so often the sheer ridiculousness of his predicament breaks through. I loved that balance between gross-out horror, survival thriller, and dark comedy.
Beyond the physical ordeal, though, Whalefall is ultimately about grief, forgiveness, perseverance, and learning how to move forward after trauma. Jay isn’t just trying to escape a whale; he’s trying to make sense of his father and the damage their relationship left behind. The spiritual elements of the story might sound a little silly on paper, but the movie takes them seriously, and I think that sincerity works in its favor. Given who Mitt was and how much the ocean meant to him, Jay’s emotional and spiritual journey feels like a natural extension of the story rather than some random detour.
I also really liked a change the movie makes toward the end. The book leaves you wanting to know what happens to Jay after he escapes, and the film gives us just a little more closure. Without spoiling anything, the decision to bring his father’s letter into the final emotional beat gives the story a satisfying sense of resolution. After everything Jay has endured, seeing that part of his journey come full circle hit for me. And, of course, shout-out to Beeky. If you’ve read the book, you already know. MVP. Couldn’t have done it without him.
Ultimately, Whalefall is a hell of a lot of movie. It’s claustrophobic, disgusting, tense, occasionally hilarious, and surprisingly emotional. Abrams and Brolin are both excellent, the practical production design is outstanding, and the sound design helps make this utterly absurd premise feel terrifyingly real. I still prefer the book because it has more room to explore the complicated relationship between Jay and Mitt, but Duffield does a tremendous job translating the novel’s most important elements to the screen.
And honestly, for a mid-budget survival thriller built around a guy trapped inside a fucking whale, that’s a pretty remarkable accomplishment. I had a great time with this one, and I think word of mouth could go a long way. This is absolutely a movie I’ll be telling people to go see.
Whalefall = 87/100
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