Omaha, Nebraska, 1924. Marlon Brando Jr. is born into a dysfunctional family: an alcoholic and violent father, a mother who was an amateur actress and also dependent on alcohol. A difficult childhood that would forever mark his relationship with authority, with Hollywood, with himself.

“A dangerous actor: unpredictable”—Charlie Chaplin once said, and his observation, like a prophecy, accompanied Brando throughout his entire career. This documentary offers a full portrait of Brando, the man behind the myth, the rebel behind the legend.

In 1947 he explodes onto Broadway with Tennessee Williams’ “A Streetcar Named Desire,” directed by Elia Kazan. Stanley Kowalski becomes an icon: the sweaty white t-shirt, the cry of “Stella!”, a new idea of masculinity. It is the revolution of Method Acting, learned at the Actors Studio with Stella Adler and Lee Strasberg.

Cinema consecrates him: “The Wild One” (1953) transforms him into the symbol of rebellious youth, astride his motorcycle. “On the Waterfront” (1954) earns him his first Oscar. “The Godfather” (1972) by Francis Ford Coppola resurrects him after years of failed films—and Brando refuses the statuette on live television, sending a Native American woman to protest the treatment of indigenous peoples. “Last Tango in Paris” (1972) by Bernardo Bertolucci shocks the world.

Through rare filmed documents, drawn from both his private life and his work, Donatella Baglivo reconstructs the journey of a tormented genius. Lengthy exclusive interviews with his sister Jocelyn Brando, with Robert Lewis (co-founder of the Actors Studio alongside Elia Kazan), with Anthony Quinn, Glenn Ford, Jane Fonda, Maureen Stapleton, Rod Steiger, Bernardo Bertolucci, and many others.

The documentary also explores the dark side: the failed marriages, the tragedy of his son Christian convicted of manslaughter, his daughter Cheyenne’s suicide, his isolation on his Polynesian island Tetiaroa. A man who forever changed the art of acting, paying the highest price.

Marlon Brando left us in 2004, but his influence on every actor who came after him remains indelible.