‘Whalefall’ Director Brian Duffield and Star Austin Abrams Resisted the New Ending Before Embracing It

The ending of *Whalefall* was changed after test screenings, adding a family reunion at sea after Jay Gardiner survives being trapped inside a sperm whale. Director Brian Duffield and star Austin Abrams initially preferred to end with Jay’s rescue, but later felt the epilogue brought the story’s emotional arc to a more satisfying close.

Jay returns to California a year after his estranged father Mitt’s death, then nearly dies while searching for his remains underwater. He escapes the whale by causing an explosion, losing his left arm and sustaining severe scarring; the whale’s death also creates a whalefall, nourishing deep-sea life. The added scene reunites Jay with his mother, sisters and family friend Hewey, and resolves the question of the letter his father left him.