From the claustrophobic and sensually revolting innards of a sperm whale to the emotionally distant relationship of a father and son, “Whalefall” tries to evoke two acutely different emotions. And although the film’s obscenely in-depth depiction of a whale’s digestive tract certainly succeeds in its mission of disgusting the audience, the emotional core of the movie leaves something to be desired. 

“Whalefall” follows Jay Gardiner (Austin Abrams) as he goes diving off the coast of California in search of his dead father’s remains and ends up being swallowed by a whale with only an hour of oxygen left in his tank. 

Since “Whalefall” bounces back and forth between scenes where Jay is attempting to escape the whale and flashbacks to scenes between him and his father, Mitt (Josh Brolin), it is crucial that their relationship is fleshed out. However, the film often reduces their differences to their superficial components. Mitt loves the sea, and Jay wants to escape it. Jay desires independence, and Mitt desires control.

Through Jay’s struggle in the whale, he comes to understand how his father didn’t know how to express his love in a soft way, and his tough love was a way to prepare Jay for the unrelenting brutality of the world.

Although this theming can hold genuine emotional weight, the insistence of “Whalefall” on shoving the message down the audience’s throat dilutes its eventual payoff. Most flashbacks feel like they are relaying a nearly identical message of how Jay and Mitt disagree until near the end of the movie, when the film plays its emotional hand all at once.

Even though “Whalefall” exquisitely builds suspense within the whale through its close-up shots of a grotesque obstacle course made of contorting stomach muscles and gloopy intestines, the unappealing familial relationship at its center can make the core messaging hard to swallow.