Parents' Guide to Whalefall

Make sure you have something or someone nearby to clutch while watching, because this mesmerizing modern-day Jonah story is stressful, harrowing, and surprisingly emotional. The direction and special effects are excellent, but the reason Whalefall works is largely due to Abrams' indefatigable performance of endurance. Like many teen boys, Jay is fairly stoic and reserved. He doesn't express much, but finally he can no longer take how hard his dad is on him. And while the information that Mitt is trying to impart isn't just important—it's a part of his identity that he's trying to share—his approach is certainly misguided. So when he goes too far, Jay puts his foot down and cuts off contact, even as Mitt is dying. Once Mitt is actually gone, it's made clear through Abrams' avoidant eyes that Jay is racked with guilt, setting the story into motion.

Once the action shifts to the water, don't be surprised if your heart pounds as hard as Jay's. This is where Jay becomes more than an everyman: He becomes an everyson. For families, he may feel like a stand-in for their own sons and brothers, spiking parental anxiety to a 10 out of 10. You might catch yourself unable to breathe, and when Jay breaks down and cries, suffering injury after injury while trying to escape, it's likely to break you, too. Director Brian Duffield makes the inside of the whale so convincingly realistic that it's hard to imagine that anyone could survive there for three days and nights, as Jonah supposedly did, without divine intervention. There's no direct reference to that biblical story in Whalefall, but faith-based families might be surprised at how much the stories align. For both Jay and Jonah, possible salvation ultimately lies in their ability to make peace with the one they call Father.