Getting swallowed by a whale is a pretty effective way to sell a survival thriller. It also leaves an obvious question: How does anyone get out of that alive? Brian Duffield's latest movie has another problem waiting inside that nightmare, because its unlucky protagonist was already dealing with a loss before his dive went catastrophically wrong.
Austin Abrams and Josh Brolin play the father and son at the center of that story, which sends a young man searching for answers somewhere he probably shouldn't be looking alone. Their relationship is what brings him into the water, and the lessons he learned growing up could be what gets him back out. Unfortunately, understanding his father comes with a much more immediate deadline than he expected.
As part of Collider's Exclusive Fall Preview, we are thrilled to reveal a new image from Whalefall, showing Abrams and Brolin's strained father-son relationship before the movie's underwater nightmare begins. Brolin's Mitt points at his son outside a garage, with scuba tanks nearby, while Jay stands facing him with his backpack still on. Alongside the reveal, director, co-writer, and producer Duffield shared why getting that relationship right mattered so much to the survival thriller, which opens in theaters October 16.
'Whalefall' Has More Than a Survival Story on Its Mind
For Duffield, making that extraordinary situation work meant getting something much more familiar right first. In a quote provided exclusively to Collider, the filmmaker explained that Jay's relationship with his father needed to register before the whale entered the picture. As he put it:
“It was critical to us that in a movie where a very extraordinary event happens to our very unlucky hero, his relationship with his dad felt instantly relatable, in both wonderful and painful ways. Both men want to connect with each other but can't figure out how until it's too late, and then a whale gets involved (spoilers).”
That last line makes a fairly convincing argument for the worst possible timing. Jay has already lost the chance to have the conversation both men needed, and his attempt to find his father leaves him fighting for his own life. Duffield's comments suggest the movie won't smooth over their problems just because Jay now needs something his dad taught him. The affection and the pain are both part of what he takes into the water.
Whalefall author Daniel Kraus co-wrote the adaptation with Duffield, keeping the novel's author involved in bringing that predicament to the screen. Elisabeth Shue, John Ortiz, Jane Levy, and Emily Rudd round out the cast alongside Abrams and Brolin. With its release arriving this week, the new image offers another look at a thriller whose director is putting as much emphasis on the troubled family relationship as the seemingly impossible escape.
For fans of tense, character-driven thrillers, this one is shaping up to be a must-see. If you're looking for more recommendations, check out our list of the most perfectly plotted psychological thrillers or dive into Hitchcock's greatest thrillers. And if you're in the mood for something underwater, Idris Elba's underwater sci-fi thriller might be right up your alley.
Whalefall premieres exclusively in theaters October 16. Stay tuned at Collider for more.
