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Photo storyDisney Brasil Imprensa / 20th Century Studios2 min read

Whalefall: an hour of oxygen and a father-son relationship behind the fight to survive

Austin Abrams and Josh Brolin star in the adaptation of Daniel Kraus’s novel, where physical danger brings unresolved memories to the surface.

By PulseOctober 31, 2026
A diver wearing breathing equipment looks at a small illuminated creature in a dark blue setting.
Austin Abrams as Jay in promotional material for Whalefall; the image does not reveal the ending.

Whalefall, released in Brazil as Dentro da Baleia, is now in Brazilian theaters. The survival thriller follows Jay Gardiner, swallowed by a sperm whale with roughly an hour of oxygen left to find a way out.

Jay had been diving off California to recover the remains of his father, Mitt. Their difficult relationship resurfaces as he fights to survive: memories of his father explain both why he made the dive and the emotional pressure he must confront.

Austin Abrams plays Jay and Josh Brolin plays Mitt. Elisabeth Shue is his mother, Zara, while Jane Levy and Emily Rudd play his sisters. Brian Duffield, director of No One Will Save You, directs and shares screenplay credit with Daniel Kraus.

The source is Kraus’s 2023 novel Whalefall. Official material describes inspirations including a video of two kayakers nearly swallowed by a whale and survival stories such as 127 Hours and The Martian. The search for his father, limited oxygen and family conflict establish the premise; the details of Jay’s struggle and its outcome are left for the film.

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