Montgomery Clift embodied the quintessential male star of the later years of Hollywood’s golden era. A prototype of vulnerable, sensitive masculinity, he stood in direction opposition to the classic male star, which had come before.

However, his legacy has become synonymous with tragedy, self-destruction and self-hatred, associated with torment over his sexuality, as well as the popularization of the notion that Clift was ‘the slowest suicide in Hollywood history’.

In this documentary, his nephew Robert Clift and co-director Hillary Demmon reexamine Monty’s life, and the many flawed narratives that have come to define him. Drawing from the rich archive of intimate materials gathered by Monty’s brother Brooks, the film provides an altogether more positive perspective of the man, going as far as to re-frame Clift as someone unashamed of his sexuality, who stood in bold defiance of the restrictions placed on him by the Hollywood studio system.

• 2018 | Los Angeles Film Festival | Nominated for LA Muse Award as Best Feature