Whalefall

Underwater films are typically presented in an extremely claustrophobic way in order to give it that suffocating aspect, i.e, "The Abyss", "The Meg", "U-570", "Crimson Tide" among a handful. So when "Whalefall" was released, it clearly showcased the claustrophobic  aspect in a very purposed way.

Following the death of his father, Mitt Gardiner (Josh Brolin), Jay Gardiner (Austin Abrams) goes diving off the central Coast of California in search of his remains, but is swallowed by a massive sperm whale. While trapped inside its belly with only one hour of oxygen left, Jay comes to realize that the hard-earned lessons his father imparted may be the key to his escape. Will he be able to figure it out and be able to escape the clutches of this whale before his air comes to an end?

Others to round out the cast are Elisabeth Shue as Zara Gardiner, Jay's mom, John Ortiz as Hewey, Mitt's friend, Jane Levy as Jay's sister, Emily Rudd as another of Jay's sisters and Nicholas Gould as US Coast Guard Perry Officer Third Class Whaley. 

This was directed with a gut-wrenching amount of grit and intensity by Brian Duffield ("Spontaneous" '20, "No One Will Save You" '23). Even though this filmmaker has limited experience behind the camera, he definitely gave a one two punch in his position to convince his audience that this young man, not only was swallowed, but how he is constantly challenged in his survival. The tension of the situation coupled with the tenacity of Jay, the scuba diver,  was amazing direction. Duffield's pacing, staging and sequencing were also crafted well. It was also executed well by writers Brian Duffield ("The Divergent Series: Insurgent" '15, "Jane Got a Gun" '15, "The Babysitter" '17, "Underwater" '20, "Sponraneous" '20, "Love and Monsters" '20, "No One Will Save You" '23) plus TV and a short and Daniel Kraus ("Jefftowne" '97, "Ball of Wax" '03) plus TV, based on the book by Daniel Kraus. The sequencing was stunning in this script, however considering Kraus, who wrote the book this film is based on, and was one of the screenwriters along with Duffield, the other screenwriter who is experienced, wrote this, it's no wonder it was sequenced and cohesive as it was. Unless Austin Abrams as Jay has been in a lot of TV, which I'm not really into, his performance was riveting even though I've never heard of him. Much of his performance was facial and emotional and not verbal since he was wearing a scuba device, and his expressions spoke volumes. The underwater cinematography by Jamie Alac was descript as it was stunning, and the visual effects predominantly designed by ILM (Industrial, Light & Magic) were seamless and were created in a very subtle way which added to the story. 

If you light this type of 'claustrophobic' fare in a film, this will certainly hit home, however if you are experiencing claustrophobia in your own life, this might create a feeling of uncomfortableness. It's truly a roller coaster ride and is a real nail-biter, but that's what makes this ride. 

Out of 4 Stars: 4                                    Rated: PG-13                                      105min.