A Fortunate Man (2018): cast, story & where to watch

Released in 2018, A Fortunate Man is a drama film directed by Bille August, running about 162 minutes.

What it’s about. On his quest for happiness, Per decides to leave Jutland and an upbringing in a strict religious home. He runs from his family and his patriarch father, and sets sail towards Copenhagen to become an engineer. Parallel to his studies, he works on a visionary energy project based on wind and wave energy, a project so much ahead of its time, that professors consider him insane and far too self-confident. However, Per’s project becomes a success and he marries the beautiful Jakobe who is a part of a wealthy Jewish family. One would imagine that Per’s happiness now is made. But Per’s childhood keeps haunting him and his dogmatic family cannot accept his new life. Despite his luck and success, Per is unable to fully cut the strings to his strict religious background, and he now fears that he will repeat his father’s patriarchist behavior.

Who’s in it. A Fortunate Man stars Esben Smed as Lykke-Per, Katrine Greis-Rosenthal as Jakobe Salomon, Benjamin Kitter as Ivan Salomon and Julie Christiansen as Nanny Salomon, among others.

How it landed. With an audience score of 6.7/10, A Fortunate Man has drawn a solid, mixed-to-positive response.

Where to watch. Streaming options change often. See the full, country-by-country breakdown on our where to watch A Fortunate Man page.

If you liked it. Fans of A Fortunate Man tend to enjoy The Shawshank Redemption, The Godfather, Schindler's List and The Godfather Part II.