‘Whalefall’ film dives deep into father-son bonds within a whale tale

By Danielle Broadway

LOS ANGELES, Oct 15 (Reuters) - For Austin Abrams, Disney's DIS.N 20th Century Studios survival film "Whalefall" is about more than just a young man being trapped inside an enormous sperm whale.

"I feel like what... drew interest for me was this insane story about getting swallowed by a whale," the "Euphoria" actor told Reuters.

However, what kept Abrams' attention was the complex father-son relationship at the heart of the story.

"Whalefall," which arrives in theaters on Friday, follows Jay Gardiner, played by Abrams, a young man who dives off California's Central Coast in search of his father's remains, only to be swallowed by a massive sperm whale.

With just one hour of oxygen left, Jay realizes that the stern lessons his father taught him about the ocean and diving may be his only chance of survival.

The film, directed by Brian Duffield, who co-wrote the screenplay with Daniel Kraus, is based on Kraus' novel of the same name.

Abrams stars alongside Josh Brolin, who plays Jay's father, Mitt Gardiner.

"There's not a dearth of love that the father has for the son or that the son has for the father," Brolin said. "It's just where they're meeting in their lives."

Through a series of flashbacks, the film explores the turbulent bond between Jay and Mitt, revealing how Mitt’s relentless drive to make his son share his obsession with the ocean helped fuel their complex relationship.

Kraus said the idea for "Whalefall" came from a viral video of a humpback whale surfacing near a kayaker, who briefly ended up in the whale's mouth.

His research led him to sperm whales, whose throats are large enough to swallow prey such as giant squid or, in the case of his novel, a person.

"So that was the inspiration for the plot," Kraus added, noting that the film truly came together when he decided to center it on a parent-child dynamic.