His small “what?” when they asked him to undress was so sad. He had no idea what was coming.

His love for his wife as an adult is more beautiful than any photo taken in his youth.

I remembered reading how he loved Japan and really enjoyed his time there and expressed that he wanted to visit it again. I think the reason he didn’t hate Japan despite being the reason that inspired the bishonen trope is because they simply admired his beauty and never asked him to take off his clothes or to visit gay bars where older men leered at him. He wasn’t exploited there…

He lost his mother at a young age He never knew or met his own father His grandmother used him People around him who made him popular destroyed and abused him He lost his son at a very young age He became alcoholic and depressed His marriage with his ex-wife failed Bjorn is the male version of Marilyn Monroe

I think people are taking this too literally. He is not the most beautiful boy in the world, that is the point, he was objectified and exploited as a child for consumption by adults around him. That is fucked up. That is bad. He's not saying being attractive is what made his life hell, its the adults who found him attractive as a CHILD that made his life hell. They made a label and put it on a child for lust and monetary gain without considering the person he actually was. It is creepy enough to consider alone, they didn't have to curate this a certain way to make you feel anything, its out of respect for his story. People's true thoughts on the internet make me realize every day why predators always get away with it and why victims are continually victimized and blamed over and over again. It's easier to critique Bjorn than the people who made him 'the most beautiful boy'.

its insane that this man was what inspired alot of modern day anime aspects literally the real liufe bishounen boy and at that age it breaks my heart

I remember when I was a kid I was given the opportunity to model. My father said said hell no. At the time I was upset but now as an adult, knowing what I know i'm glad I didnt.

“Get him to undress” “..what?” Broke my heart

“Beauty is terror. Whatever we call beautiful, we quiver before it.” ― Donna Tartt

I feel bad for him..they emotionally, physically and sexually abused him just because they labeled him as "the most beautiful boy in the world" 💔

This beautiful boy is single handedly responsible for the anime male character design done by animators and illustrators in the 1970s-80s

Calling a child the “most beautiful” is setting them up to briefly use and be used, until a newer prettier item comes along. The people who flock around “most beautifulls” aren’t generally keepers.

fun fact: he is the old man that jumps off the cliff in midsommar!!! i heard about him because apparently a bunch of japanese audiences recognized his face and showed covers of manga and fiction novels that used his face as reference edit: big trigger warning!!! gore, violence, blood, death!!!! sorry i didn't include that in my original post, my bad

I feel like he wasn't seen as human more like an accomplishment or like a trophy

Ugly people are hated and beautiful people are ravaged for their beauty, such a sad shallow world.

I watched his documentaries and it’s crazy how he’s literally celebrated all over the world,basically the blueprint for the modern anime men considered the most beautiful boy But he never expected any of it when he first auditioned from his school.. the way everything completely changes over time is crazy

this is what people call dangerous beauty but it is actually people who are dangerous, doing harm to someone because of their beauty just to satisfy themselves, it's sad that this is still happening right now to celebrities, korean idols etc. and its much worse

Just watched it and its amazing...not going in to whether he was abused or not as I suspect its something he wishes to keep to himself. He's an old man now but still remarkable ..I mean if you saw him walking towards you now, you'd never forget that look. This is a caution to Parents etc who want there kids names in lights on movies etc..DONT put your children in harms way like this! I have no doubt that if that Director was still alive he'd be in trouble although Bjorn doesn't say anything implicit. I just hope he get's his life back on track..after all these years, he deserves that at least

The film (as well as the novel) Death in Venice is certainly an incredible work of cinema. Thomas Mann’s vision being realized on screen in epic, profound fashion is very much worth watching. That said, I am pretty disturbed by Visconti’s treatment of him and what was put on his shoulders at a young age. I wonder if the gruesomeness of his scene in Midsommar felt cathartic to him, to be able to subvert the image of him as an ideal beautiful form by having his face bashed in brutally in the film. Just me speculating.

This a film that society sorely needs and I hope it spreads worldwide, this could open up a very important global conversation about beauty and what it is that makes a person's worth. I've been trying to dissect this recently in Korean society, this obsession with this unachievable "perfect" beauty and literally idolizing for appearance. It's time a shift needs to be made to scale back and rediscover what it is that makes a human good, what makes one worthy of being idolized, it shouldn't be based in appearance but in character, in empathy, humility, creativty, intuition, curiosity, inquisitiveness, things that once were held in such prowess should be so again

There's beauty AND mankind admires ...AND, Immediately, kills it!

The guy unironically looks like every single "feminine pretty boy" antagonist In any series ever

his face is literally like a renaissance art

When he was young, he looked like the "Fallen Angel" painting

I clearly remember when "Death In Venice" was a new movie. I was age 10, he was age 15. I've always wanted to meet Björn Andrésen. Both Then & Now.

Just watched and was really sad :( I can say he has something special even as an old man it’s appearance is very remarkable, even the way he thinks, so sad what they did to him

He looks like one of those angels painted by people in victorian days

I am so sorry all this happened to you. You deserved better, Björn.

That child became the model for all bishounen characters in shoujo manga

When I saw Midsommar I didn't know that was "Tadzio" who jumped from the high cliff. The moment in the film is gory. Knowing he was him make the sequence even gorier

Real beauty doesn’t go it fades but still can be seen.Bjorn is the true example

I am a 14 year old girl who recently found this video. It is true, I find him to be very pretty, but I would never go out of my way to fantasize over him in person and see him as an idol withought even knowing him. True beauty is in the soul, how bright it shines and how you walk the path of light. How you express yourself withought harming others and being a role model for goodness.. Withought getting a chance to live a life in which you know yourself can impact you physically and emotionally. Never idolize somone based off of their looks, for that could truly lead you to corruption. That being said, I feel that this boy could have shared much more beautiful things rather than looks... It breaks my heart to know that adults would do such a thing for their own greed. If the man that chose this boy to be in his movie was as beautiful as him, would you idolize him not caring that he impacted this boys life just because he was beautiful? Beauty isn't always in somthing that is appealing to the eye, and even still it should be respected. A fool would pick a beautiful flower to hold it in his house just so that he could see that he holds it- leaving it soon to die and wither. A wise man would let the beautiful flower be, allowing it to live its fullest life. My heart goes to you my friend, you are still yet beautiful within.

OMG.. I can only imagine how much they might have exploited him... I know it was in the past still my heart goes for that little boy 🥺🥺🥺🥺

Sometimes, beauty is a curse.

Imagine the stress of growing up, when you think everybody only values you as a child. And that upon getting older and maturing you might lose that. Then have to ask such existential questions about self and value, all while still being a little kid.

This boy looks like a prince, it’s sad how beauty can be treated in a disgusting manner. 🗿

1:40 He looks like the painting The Fallen Angel

It’s so sad how people can literally ruin so many childrens lives with this expectations of success, fame and beauty

The movie was fabulous. I've been mesmerized by Bjorn since first seeing "Death in Venice" as a kid. I always wanted to know his story. If he only had more guidance, he would've had an awesome experience. Visconte was correct in his title of Bjorn. Like Marilyn Monroe, Bjorn's Adonis looks, mystique, innocence, vulnerability, etc., truly made him a timeless rare beauty.

This somehow reminds me of a character from an anime called banana fish named ash, a boy who was increadibly beautiful, but due to that factor he was exploited in lots of ways ever since he was a young child, he was tragic character.

ok but it must be haunting to have your young self immortalised like that..photos upon videos upon articles of who he once was

It is human tendency to destroy beauty, once a beautiful thing falls under the greedy eyes of a human it's bound to be broken. There have never been any beautiful thing that survived after getting in the hands or in the eyes of humans. I'm not only talking about looks, it's also about relationships, wealth, happiness, a good character, nature and so on.

That look of Bjorn at the end, though... Looks like I could see a mix of anger and sadness. The more I learned about his story, the more I felt bad for him. Even today, celebrities (especially pop idols who are also minors) are being treated the same way he was treated, especially with the whole parasocial relationship thing they have to put up.

It happens to girls all the time, but when you see it happening to a boy, it really hurts (because finally, people understand how it hurts).

He was in Midsommar, the guy who jumps off the cliff in a ritual and fails to die.

To put the eyes on Beauty is to put the eyes on Death

He looked so confused when they asked him to undress

Beauty lies in the eye of the beholder. And in this case the beholders exploited said beauty to an ungodly extent. I don't wanna know how confused, terrified and lonely that kid felt.

God he looks like coming straight out of 70's shojou anime/manga

I feel disgust hearing children being exploited

I can't even imagine his pain. I'm glad he has a loving wife who cares about him :)

i remember some people mentioned this kid was the inspiration of many mangakas for their protagonists, but i never thought it was this fucked up...

Protect your children, people.

I remember seeing that film when I was really young, didn’t have a clue what it was about, but it felt very uncomfortable seeing an old man eyeing up a boy. It scared me. Now I see it as a pedo. And a child without power. Might watch it now as an adult and see what I find in it

Once i saw a movie "Death in Venice". And then found a story about that boy. I feel so sad for him and both proud! He is strong and wise! He deserved much better life than being pedofiles dream... I am honored to know his true story and shame on everyone who took part in his perveted childhood. Long live beautiful person!

I can look at him, at his face, and I can see boys today with a similar look who might feel that they’re unattractive or weird. Beauty is so subjective and we place so much power in it. Why? What is the value?

je suis allée voir le film à sa sortie , j'étais tombée amoureuse de Tadzio, nous avons le même âge.. Il était mon idéal de beauté..50 ans ont passé, nous sommes un peu vieux à présent, mais je trouve que Björn Andresen garde une certaine beauté . En tout cas le film reste un chef-d'oeuvre du cinéma

I feel so bad for him, he deserves better, not this! 😢

I hope he finds peace and can live a better life than what happened to him.

Omg I remembered he was super popular in Japan.. never knew hurtful story like this…what a heart broke..

This was heartbreaking..just the trailer broke my ❤

He was taken advantage of. A young boy with no parental figures or anyone who cared about him around him and used by these pedophiles. It's sad.

어렸을적 일은 큰 상처이겠지만, 지금 가족들이랑 행복하게 살고있으니 다행이다.

This has been on my “movies to watch list” ever since I saw the main character’s face. I can’t help but be reminded of that one infamous scene in The Hour of the Wolf directed by Ingmar Bergman.

He is still so charming!

An extraordinary man, but who suffered a lot. The poor man, he didn't deserve so much suffering!

This man was the grandfather of all anime protagonists.

That boy looks like he could be or play most Ancient Greek characters

Fascinating to see how what was once considered the epitome of male beauty - in the pre-mass vanity, pre-mass porn, pre-selfie, pre-protein powder gym hysteria world - has changed.

Interesting Fact: He also was in Midsommar. He plays the 72 year old man who participates in the Attestupa.

Thousands auditioned for the lead role in this classic movie and Bjorn was lucky enough in landing the part. He had an adventurous experience and was the envy of many boys who lost out. He would have most likely ended up the same way film or no film. In life, opportunities may come one's way and it's how you seize upon them and optimise the life changing experience

I'm so happy I saw this clip, it made me feel my real feelings.

Just this trailer is already heartbreaking.

Excellent documentary

This is why we have to protect people in their youth, they have to live a lifetime with the abuse. I see the older face of that boy now a man, and I wish with all my heart I could go back and time and protect him with my life so that the man he became would not have ever had to overcome terrible pain

God, he looks ethereal…

I watched Death in Venice without all of this context, I can’t look at the movie the same way now

Amazing, such an evocative trailer ✌️💕

Único,maravilloso e inolvidable. Te queremos y admiramos. Siempre Bjorn!!!

No different in today’s world. That’s how Hollyweird treat their young.

Yeah, he was looking for beauty alright. . .and innocence to devour.

I always feel so bad for beautiful people.

Even as an older man, he is still beautiful to look at…

Hey, it’s Bjorn Andresen!! Bjorn took a swan dive off a rock in the movie ‘Midsommar!’

He's basically the inspiration for every young blonde anime boy

Just realized that Hunter Schafer (Jules from Euphoria) looks very similar to Björn Andrésen. They both have that ethereal look.

Looks like a very interesting study of identity, especially when you’re told you’re identity is external your whole life. Having it all on the outside leaves nothing on the inside.

I remember watching death in Venice

Now every time a watch a new-for-me anime now, I check out the characters and I'm like -"Yep, there's Bjorn." There's always one.

That’s sad. This will definitely be a good documentary for the world to watch.

Furthermore the beauty remains in the eye of the beholder.

Beauty in the eye of the holder I think this is the expression.He had an angourouus look and maybe it was this that liked as different .I hope he has had peace and his life as adult .

until July? Lol i want to watch it right now,Björn is the reason made i wanna going to Sweden in future and now i’m trying to learn Swedish

woww yess I remember watching the documentary about him on arte ... crazy story and very interesting

A masterpiece.

dam he looks like the fallen angel

Here I am! Again in the old quest for the smile of the springs of time. Now, I'm around the storms that took you away from me... so long I waited for you to have you right with me, simply. I walk around the storms that took you away from me... spending the day looking at the opaque clouds of the sky. Here, the soul has already broken down, but there is still a chaste and insistent hope. Glaydson Lammarck

This is so heartbreaking. 😪

I would love to see this film. I only wish it was much more accessible.

Beauty is in the eye of the beer holder.