Kojima Shares Thoughts on Whalefall
Whalefall, the movie that sees Austin Abrams attempt to fight his way out of the belly of a sperm whale, has a fan in Hideo Kojima. The game creator and film enthusiast shared his thoughts on the film, revealing a lifelong love for whales while noting that the movie has put him off snacking on squid.
It was a literary film that explored, in a somewhat metafictional way, the relationship between whales and humans as part of an ecosystem, alongside the familial bond between father and son. The visual effects were also outstanding. However, I don’t think I’ll be eating squid for a while, Kojima noted.
A Lifelong Fascination with Whales
Kojima noted that he had received a copy of Daniel Kraus's novel, on which the film is based, prior to watching the adaptation. He highlighted his childhood fascination with whale ecology and how marine mammals have influenced his own game design across titles like Metal Gear Solid and Death Stranding.
Unusual Research for the Film
Director and writer Brian Duffield discussed the making of the movie and revealed the unusual research required when depicting whale anatomy.
We would watch autopsies of beached sperm whales, and there's a bunch of endoscopies of beluga whales and dolphins that we would watch and then talk to the experts and see how much of that we could use and how much would be different with a sperm whale, Duffield said.
The production involved reviewing graphic endoscopies and autopsies to accurately capture the inside of a whale for the survival drama.
Whalefall is currently in movie theaters, bringing its frightening and intense survival setting to the big screen.
