In 1971, at the world premiere of “Death in Venice” in London, Italian director Luchino Visconti proclaimed Björn Andrésen, the teen star of his latest film, "the most beautiful boy in the world.” A few months later, whilst the film is competing in Cannes, Björn is discovered by a Japanese music agent and flown directly from the red carpet to Tokyo to become Japan’s first Western icon with a career as a pop star, participating in tv shows and commercials. This is the story of a boy who was thrust to international stardom for his iconic looks and lived a life of glamour, unprepared for instantly becoming an international celebrity. 50 years later, Björn looks back.
The nomination as ”the most beautiful boy in the world” became an epithet that has come to haunt him for the rest of his life. Today he is struggling with addiction and inner demons. He is also discovering the truth behind his mother’s disappearance and finding the clues to who his father is. “The Most Beautiful Boy in the World” is a deeply personal and cinematic film about a person reconciling his past and taking control of his life. It is also a unique look behind the scenes of one of the world’s greatest film classics - “Death in Venice”, and also the structures of power and the cause of it, which recently has become known as #metoo.