In the Heart of the Sea - is a 2015 American biographical survival-drama film based on Nathaniel Philbrick's 2000 non-fiction book of the same name. In the Heart of the Sea - is a 2015 American biographical survival-drama film based on Nathaniel Philbrick's 2000 non-fiction book of the same name. New England, 1850: In search of inspiration, author Herman Melville (Ben Whishaw) seeks out traumatized seaman Tom Nickerson (Brendan Gleeson), a survivor of the 1820 scuttling of the whaler Essex by a massive sperm whale. Nickerson’s account of the tensions between green captain George Pollard (Benjamin Walker) and resentful first mate Owen Chase (Chris Hemsworth), and the crew’s harrowing choices for survival, are brought to memorable life in Ron Howard’s nautical adventure. Cillian Murphy, Tom Holland, Michelle Fairley also star. 122 min.