Whalefall

"Hold your breath."

2026 1h 38m EN

Thriller

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Following the death of his father, Jay Gardiner goes diving off the central Coast of California in search of his remains, but is swallowed by a massive sperm whale. While trapped inside its belly with only one hour of oxygen left, Jay comes to realize that the hard-earned lessons his father imparted may be the key to his escape.

“Hold your breath.”

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Cast

Austin Abrams
Jay Gardiner
Josh Brolin
Mitt Gardiner
Elisabeth Shue
Zara Gardiner
John Ortiz
Hewey
Jane Levy
Eva Gardiner
Emily Rudd
Nan Gardiner

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Brian Duffield
Writers: Brian Duffield, Daniel Kraus
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 7

ERA

Did you know

Released this year — you're seeing it while it's still in the cultural conversation.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Brian Duffield, shot by Aaron Morton. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Joseph Trapanese. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Pietro Scalia shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 7

CAST

Did you know

Austin Abrams and Josh Brolin and Elisabeth Shue carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 7

ERA

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "Hold your breath.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 7

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt28535715 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Brian Duffield directs. Aaron Morton behind the camera. Joseph Trapanese scores. Pietro Scalia cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Released this year — you're seeing it while it's still in the cultural conversation.
2Directed by Brian Duffield, shot by Aaron Morton. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
3Original score by Joseph Trapanese. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
4Editor Pietro Scalia shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
5Austin Abrams and Josh Brolin and Elisabeth Shue carry the top of the cast.
6Marketing tagline: "Hold your breath.".
7IMDB entry: tt28535715 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
8Classified under 8 themes, including "race against time", "based on novel or book", "oxygen", "death of father".