In 1971, at the London premiere of Death in Venice, Italian director Luchino Visconti proclaimed Björn Andrésen, the teenage star of his latest film, “the most beautiful boy in the world.” Björn was thrust into international stardom and became an icon in Europe and Japan. Fifty years later, he looks back on a life shaped by that moment.
The year is 1970. Visconti is searching for a young actor to play Tadzio, the Polish nobleman at the center of Thomas Mann’s story. After traveling the world and filming hundreds of boys, he chooses fifteen-year-old Stockholmer Björn Andrésen. The label bestowed on Björn soon becomes an epithet that follows him for the rest of his life.
Now in his sixties, Björn examines his childhood, the disappearance of his mother, the mystery of his father, and the machinery that transformed a vulnerable teenager into an object of desire. The Most Beautiful Boy in the World is a deeply personal and cinematic film about reconciling with the past and taking control of one’s life. It is also a rare look behind the scenes of a film classic and at the structures of power surrounding beauty, celebrity, and exploitation.
Directed by Kristina Lindström and Kristian Petri
Country: Sweden · Languages: Swedish, English, French and Japanese · Duration: 94 minutes · Genre: Documentary · Year: 2021