The Most Beautiful Boy in the World

Play trailer

The Most Beautiful Boy in the World

2021

1h 33m

Documentary

Play Trailer

Watchlist

Watchlist

Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

78%

Tomatometer

55 Reviews

75%

Popcornmeter

Fewer than 50 Ratings

In 1971at 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." This is the story of a boy who was thrust to international stardom for his iconic looks and lived a life of glamour. 50 years later, Björn looks back.

Watch on Fandango

Stream Now

Critics Consensus

The Most Beautiful Boy in the World tells an undeniably familiar cautionary tale, but it's no less unbearably tragic in the telling.

Read Critics Reviews

Alex Davidson

Sight & Sound

May 14, 2026

As a lesson in the damaging effects poor guardianship can have on children, however, the film certainly makes its point.

Go to Full Review

Owen Gleiberman

Variety

Nov 7, 2021

A small, impressionistic, oddly heartfelt movie about beauty, stardom, adoration, exploitation, and loss.

Go to Full Review

Rex Reed

Observer

Nov 1, 2021

3/4

his fascinating but dismally depressing Swedish documentary is well worth seeing, but never fully escapes the feeling that it's all been seen before.

Go to Full Review

Vadim Rizov

Filmmaker Magazine

Nov 29, 2022

This doesn’t make the leap from “DVD supplement” to its own film-object, but anyone curious for Visconti-related reasons will probably get something of value out of this.

Go to Full Review

Cody Dericks

Next Best Picture

Jul 7, 2022

5/10

While it's an undeniably raw look at the perils of fame, the film can't help but lose focus of its factually-based themes and deeper examinations as it goes on.

Go to Full Review

Carson Timar

Clapper

Feb 22, 2022

Largely, this is an innocent enough film that can be skipped by all except those who are especially interested in the life and career of Bjrn Andrsen.

Go to Full Review

Read all reviews

Shaun

Oct 4, 2021

An interesting story, just poorly told.

See more

Jennifer W

@Jennycake Nov 1, 2025

I grew up in the entertainment scene of the 1970s. Anything went. Adults who knew better turned innocence into a brand and children were hurt — some beyond repair. The male gaze was on quaaludes. Brooke Shields was America's version of the young Bjorn. I wonder if they ever met.

See more

May 7, 2022

havent finished yet, saw it after Fyrisbio volontar. in Swedish. read some interviews, he used to struggle, but he is fine now, he resists the past in a very particular way. The documentary took several years to produce, which is quite rare and precious! But there are some common Swedish tenderness/politeness/evasiveness in it that you always run into when they handle sensitive things in their culture...

See more

Read all reviews

Read More

Read Less

WRITE A REVIEW

EDIT REVIEW

POST RATING

Kristina Lindström

Director

Kristian Petri

Director

Kristina Lindström

Director

Björn Andresen

Actor

Kristina Lindström

Writer

Stina Gardell

Producer

Once Upon a Time in Uganda

95%

80%

Once Upon a Time in Uganda

Watchlist

Cold Case Hammarskjöld

83%

75%

Cold Case Hammarskjöld

Watchlist

Kurt Vonnegut: Unstuck in Time

93%

93%

Kurt Vonnegut: Unstuck in Time

Watchlist

TRAILER

for Kurt Vonnegut: Unstuck in Time

The Found Footage Phenomenon

73%

%

The Found Footage Phenomenon

Watchlist

Salvatore: Shoemaker of Dreams

78%

62%

Salvatore: Shoemaker of Dreams

Watchlist

TRAILER

for Salvatore: Shoemaker of Dreams

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

View more photos

Synopsis

In 1971at 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." This is the story of a boy who was thrust to international stardom for his iconic looks and lived a life of glamour. 50 years later, Björn looks back.

Director: Kristina Lindström, Kristian Petri, Kristina Lindström
Producer: Stina Gardell
Screenwriter: Kristina Lindström
Distributor: Juno Films
Production Co: Jonas Gardell Produktion, MEDIA Programme of the European Union, Mantaray Film , Svenska Filminstitutet (SFI), Nordisk Film & TV-Fond, Sveriges Television (SVT), Arte, Zweites Deutsches Fernsehen (ZDF), Film i Örebro län, ZDF/Arte
Genre: Documentary
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Sep 24, 2021, Limited
Runtime: 1h 33m
Aspect Ratio: Scope (2.35:1)

Join The Newsletter

Join The Newsletter

Cookie Settings