Director Brian Duffield describes his new survival thriller “Whalefall” as the “opposite of ‘Jaws’”, with a sperm whale portrayed as more hero than monster.
Based on Daniel Kraus’ 2023 novel, the film follows teenager Jay, played by Austin Abrams, who dives off California’s Monastery Beach searching for his late father’s remains. He is swallowed by a sperm whale and must find a way to survive and escape.
Duffield said whale experts had welcomed the film and hoped it would encourage audiences to learn more about the mammals. Josh Brolin, who plays Jay’s father, said he hoped the story would inspire audiences to appreciate their families and the limited time they have together.
The film also explores grief and a complicated father-son relationship, themes that attracted Brolin to the project. “I sobbed at the end of the book,” he said.
Filmmakers built large-scale whale interiors and exteriors, using computer-generated imagery mainly to enhance the environments. Duffield said the production was among the most challenging projects he had worked on, with Abrams even facing risks while filming inside the whale set.
Kraus said the idea was inspired by a viral video showing kayakers accidentally ending up inside a whale’s mouth. After consulting experts, he learned that, under certain circumstances, a person could be swallowed by a sperm whale.
Duffield acknowledged that such an event would require “a lot of things” to go wrong, but noted that sperm whales are capable of swallowing prey smaller than giant squid.
“Whalefall” begins its global theatrical rollout on October 14. -Reuters
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