Based on the Daniel Kraus book Whalefall is not the story of Gemma Collins tripping over but instead fallows scuba diver Jay ( Austin Abrams) whose fractious relationship with his emphysema riddled father Mitt ( Josh Brolin) who, weighted himself down and jumped overboard unable to deal with his illness any longer. The father-son relationship is examined in frequent flashbacks with his father coughing and wheezing and at the very least in need of a cough lozenge – we’re assured that sucking on a Fisherman’s Friend works wonders according to yacht girl Meghan Markle. Mitt was a knowledgeable and experienced sailor applying what he’s learnt out on the oceans and adapting them into life lessons for his son that are often unwanted.
Deep dive into Whalefall…
So it’s the loss of his father and his body having never been recovered that sees Jay go scuba diving to locate and recover his father’s body. Whilst doing so he finds himself in the path of a sperm whale feeding in the waters and in pursuit of a squid which is swallowed along with Jay down in the animal’s stomach. It’s a Jonah and the whale scenario and with only an hour of oxygen left, time is of the essence. The whale’s stomach is not the only problem – the squid is there too, the danger of being swallowed further into the animals digestive system, the whales stomach acid and the effect of depth pressure on him that lead to some occasionally excruciating moments. All the while there’s flashbacks to life lessons that his father taught him that he uses as an impetus to get out of the whale that’s as much a metaphorical representation of his father that’s summed up when he tells his son, ‘I wanted you to escape me’.
Austin Abrams has played recently had a rough time with his characters – his previous film saw him trying to survive Resident Evil and Whalefall is something of a high concept film that’s as much of an examination of toxic masculinity as it is a problem to be overcome.
But….
There are scenes here that those of a claustrophobic disposition might struggle but it’s part of the film’s problem too as its difficult to get a sense of the animal’s internal geography and just how near or far he is from escaping from any orifice. Equally with a respirator, out of necessity, often clamped into Jay’s mouth it’s difficult to understand what he says when he does speak and inner dialogue rather than spoken word would seem to be a more natural reaction for the characters situation. Director Brian Duffield’s previous film title, ‘No One Will Save You’ continues that theme here but with a nod to the fact that perhaps kids should listen to their parents and as one character says, ‘I know your Dad was rough on you but he knew what he was talking about!’.
related feature : ‘Whalefall’ Brian Duffield, Josh Brolin & Austin Abrams introduce the ultimate survival thriller
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Here’s the trailer….
