⭐️⭐️⭐⭐️✨ 4.5

Whalefall is a prime example of a film I almost skipped. Based on the trailer, I wasn’t initially interested, but after seeing online reviews hailing it as one of the best movies of the year, I decided to give it a shot. It is also a great reminder of why having a cinema subscription pays off, it gives you the freedom to take a chance on films you might otherwise overlook.

Having seen it now, I can confidently say it is amazing on the big screen and well worth your money. A screenplay adapted from a novel.

The story follows Jay, a young diver who gets swallowed by a whale while searching the ocean floor for his late father’s remains. Their relationship was complex and fraught, yet it is his father’s past lessons and diving expertise that give Jay the tools to fight through adversity and escape.

The premise sounds unusual and a little far-fetched, the vast majority of the runtime takes place entirely inside the whale’s stomach and internal organs. The atmosphere is claustrophobic, elevated by visual effects that bring Jay’s ordeal to life. The film masterfully combines physical sets and traditional filmmaking with CGI, supported by immersive ocean and whale sounds. Throughout his fight for survival, Jay experiences thoughts and flashbacks of his father, exploring their complicated relationship in a way that ultimately saves his life.

Austin Abrams delivers a brilliant performance in what must have been a difficult and physically demanding role. Josh Brolin shines as his father, alongside Elisabeth Shue as his mother. The entire cast is excellent, and the cinematography is suitably dark, moody, and thrilling throughout his desperate escape attempt.

Whalefall is a strong contender for my top 10 films of the year, and I am so glad I gave it a chance.

⭐️⭐️⭐⭐️✨ 4.5

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Trailer, synopsis and full score below.

Whalefall by Daniel Kraus is a gripping, high-stakes survival thriller that follows Jay Gardiner, a seventeen-year-old scuba diver who plunges into the ocean off the coast of Monastery Beach in California to search for the remains of his deceased father. Riddled with guilt and unresolved grief over their strained relationship, Jay finds himself in a nightmare when he is swallowed whole by an eighty-foot, 100-ton sperm whale. Trapped inside the giant creature’s suffocating digestive system with only one hour of oxygen left, Jay must rely on his technical diving expertise and resourcefulness to navigate the whale’s interior anatomy while coming to terms with his father’s memory in a claustrophobic fight for survival.

Online synopsis 

Film Rating

Music/Sound

4.5 out of 5

Story/plot

4 out of 5

Acting/Performances

5 out of 5

Overall

4.5 out of 5

Certification: 15
Running time: 106 minutes
Screening type: 2D