Whalefall

Some movies sound impossible when you first hear about them, and Whalefall is one of those. A young man goes diving to find what is left of his father and ends up inside a sperm whale. It sounds like a tall tale, but the film opened at number four at the box office this past weekend, so plenty of people are already diving in.

Austin Abrams plays Jay Gardiner. After his father Mitt dies, Jay goes diving off the central coast of California, searching for his remains. Then a massive sperm whale swallows him, and he is trapped in its belly with only one hour of oxygen left. Josh Brolin plays the father, whose lessons were hard-earned, and Elisabeth Shue plays Zara Gardiner. John Ortiz, Jane Levy and Emily Rudd are also in the cast. It is directed by Brian Duffield, who also co-wrote the screenplay with Daniel Kraus, the author of the novel it is based on.

What touched me is that this is not really a monster movie. It is a movie about a son and his father. Jay is grieving a man he had a complicated relationship with, and in the darkest, tightest place a person could ever be, he starts to understand that the lessons his father gave him, even the hard ones, may be the only thing that can save him. I think many of us know this feeling. The parent who pushed us, who we argued with, who was not always gentle, often gave us the tools we use every day without noticing.

The film's tagline is simple: hold your breath. And you do. The scenes inside the whale are strange, dark and very tense, and critics have called them some of the most unusual set pieces the survival thriller genre has to offer.

I have to be honest, though. Critics have said the story slows down whenever it leaves the whale for flashbacks, and you need to accept a big, wild idea to enjoy it. If you can let go and simply go along for the ride, it pays off. Audiences have been even warmer to it than critics, and I understand why, because the heart of it is very human.

The lesson I took from it is about the people who shaped us. Sometimes we only see the value of what someone taught us when we are alone and need it most. It made me think about forgiving the hard parts of our parents and keeping the good parts close.

Whalefall is rated PG-13 and runs about an hour and forty-six minutes. It is a good pick for thriller fans, for fathers and sons, and for anyone who likes a survival story with real feeling. Just maybe do not watch it before your next trip to the beach.