Whalefall

A closer look at the story

After losing his father, Jay Gardiner dives into the sea off California's central coast to find his remains. That dive, however, turns into a nightmare beyond imagining: a gigantic sperm whale swallows Jay whole. Trapped in a dark, cramped space inside the whale's belly, Jay is running out of time, because the oxygen in his tank is dwindling. Every breath brings him a little closer to the end. In these desperate moments, Jay begins to realise that the hard-won lessons his father taught him over the years may hold the key to his escape. Pushing himself to his physical and emotional limits, Jay has to escape this seemingly impossible trap. Adapted from Daniel Kraus's novel and directed by Brian Duffield, who wrote the screenplay with Kraus, the 106-minute 2026 thriller stars Austin Abrams as Jay, with Josh Brolin, Elisabeth Shue and Jane Levy also in the cast.