Herman Melville's novel Moby Dick is one of the great works of American fiction, but few realize that the book was actually inspired by real life events so exciting, terrifying and tragic that the truth is more amazing than the fiction. On 20 November 1820, 2000 miles off the Pacific coast of South America, an enormous 85 foot sperm whale rammed the whaling ship, The Essex. This epic re-telling of the Moby Dick story uses scripted drama, stunning photography and seamless special effects to recreate the story of the young crew of The Essex and their desperate and terrifying struggle to survive.