The Young Man and Moby Dick (1979): cast, story & where to watch

Released in 1979, The Young Man and Moby Dick is a comedy and drama film directed by Jaromil Jireš, running about 89 minutes.

What it’s about. Good-looking Edita Beningerová (Jana Brejchová) arrives at a chemical factory in the North Bohemian town of Ústí nad Labem together with her young assistant Nada (Zlata Adamovská). She is hoping that her ex-husband, outstanding practical chemical engineer Vik Panc (Eduard Cupák), will help her conduct an experiment to validate her proposed theoretical method of isolating cholesterol from lanolin. The success of Edita's invention is crucial for her career at the Prague Institute of Chemistry. Vik's roommate from his hostel Bréta (Ivan Vyskocil) is thrilled. He will finally meet the mysterious and fascinating Edita about whom he has learned so much from Vik.

Who’s in it. The Young Man and Moby Dick stars Eduard Cupák as Viktor Panc, Ivan Vyskočil as Bretislav Laboutka, Jana Brejchová as Edita Beningerová and Zlata Adamovská as Nada, among others.

How it landed. With an audience score of 2.0/10, The Young Man and Moby Dick has proved divisive with audiences.

Where to watch. Streaming options change often. See the full, country-by-country breakdown on our where to watch The Young Man and Moby Dick page.

If you liked it. Fans of The Young Man and Moby Dick tend to enjoy Forrest Gump, Parasite, Life Is Beautiful and Fight Club.