Whalefall Review

I’m aware I’m doing more movie results of late (and book reviews but those are posted on my Medium account). I will never be as educated in the art of film as my boyfriend but I do have opinions and if I can save someone from buying a ticket to a lousy movie or encourage someone to see a great one, well that would be a nice feeling to have. 

Whalefall is (in short) about a guy (Jay) who gets swallowed by a sperm whale. I expected going into it to be more like a horror movie but it was actually more of a survival thriller. My boyfriend says it was kind of like 127. The movie was told from the belly of the whale to flashbacks with his father who was extremely hard on him to the point you could argue abuse. Jay had gone away to college and hadn’t come back to visit while his father got sick and died. I am not ashamed to admit I cried. 

Acting: A it’s a farfetched story. Jay was diving, looking for his father’s remains when he gets tangled up in a squid and swallowed by a whale. He suffers injuries but when he finally escapes he has no long term damage (that we know of). Jay was played by Austin Abrams which is probably my celebrity crush at the moment. He played the main character in Resident Evil and a few years ago he was in Weapons. He is a talented actor. Usually he is in horror or thriller but I’m hoping he’ll branch out. In Whalefall, he did a great job of acting bereft, guilty and terrified. His emotions ran the gamut. In the movie, his father, Mitt (Josh Brolin), puts so much pressure on Jay that something snaps within Jay and he won’t visit his father. His regret and grief is palpable.

Plot B+: The main plot (Plot A) is about Jay and his struggles to get out of the whale, particularly once it dies. Plot B shows interactions between Jay and his dad who is passionate about the water and not much else. He reprimands and humiliates Jay when he tries to take the day off to be with his friends. At times, the viewer is left wondering if the dad will actually become violent. The relationship between the father and the son is nuanced and layered, giving the audience what they came for. 

Originality: A- Before Whalefall, I only knew of one man being swallowed by a whale and his name was Jonah. There are no biblical references in Whalefall. It is not religious in any way, though it is somewhat spiritual because Jay is able to speak to his dead father from inside the whale. That could just mean Jay swallowed too much seawater. It’s not easy to fool around with flashbacks but they were all necessary in piecing together the father son relationship. 

Ending: B+ I’ll give it a B+ because it is very far fetched. At some point, Jay’s father, constantly educating him, gave Jay enough information to learn how to escape his current predicament. I won’t spoil the ending but I think the chances of him getting out that way are about as slim as him ending up in the whale in the first place. I did like the last scene though. It did end on a happy note (well, except for the whale). 

Note: Dive together. I’m no expert but I’m pretty sure you shouldn’t be diving alone. Although I’m not exactly sure what the other person would do. If they left to get help the whale might swim away and then how would you know which whale is carrying your comrade? I guess there’s really not much you can do if you accidentally get in front of a whale's mouth.