Film 'Whalefall' Explores Grief Inside a Whale's Stomach
The new movie Whalefall, adapted from Daniel Kraus's 2023 novel, follows a young diver trapped in a sperm whale as he confronts family loss and personal trauma.
Whalefall, directed by Brian Duffield, adapts Daniel Kraus's 2023 novel of the same name. The screenplay was co-written by Kraus and Duffield, who previously directed the streaming sci-fi thriller No One Will Save You. The film stars Austin Abrams as Jay Gardiner, a recent college graduate who returns to California for the anniversary of his father Mitt’s death. Josh Brolin portrays Mitt, a former diver who died by suicide after battling mesothelioma, while Jane Levy and Emily Rudd play Jay’s sisters Eva and Nan.
Jay travels to Monterey’s Submarine Canyon to locate his father’s missing remains. During the dive he is pulled into the mouth of a sperm whale that is hunting a giant squid. He awakens in the whale’s first stomach chamber with limited oxygen and must navigate a series of hostile environments inside the creature while reflecting on his strained relationship with Mitt.
The narrative interweaves the survival scenario with flashbacks that reveal Mitt’s demanding parenting style and the family’s unresolved grief. Critics note that the film balances body-horror elements with an emotional examination of loss, though some reviewers find the integration of flashbacks uneven. Whalefall aims to depict the literal and figurative experience of being trapped within a powerful, indifferent force, using the whale’s interior as a setting for the protagonist’s struggle to escape both physical danger and personal trauma.