It is almost impossible to separate Montgomery Clift’s legacy from the tragedies that cast a pall over it: his brutal car crash, closeted sexuality, drug and alcohol abuse, and his untimely death at the age of 45. Even the two popular biographies of the actor — whose esteemed credits include Suddenly, Last Summer and From Here to Eternity — painted his life as what Clift’s acting teacher Robert Lewis deemed “the longest suicide in Hollywood history.”

Frustrated by the pervasive misperception of Clift as self-destructive, his nephew Robert Anderson Clift — alongside co-director Hillary Demmon — set out to discover who Monty really was. Through interviews with family and loved ones, this lovingly-crafted documentary reexamines the accepted notion of Clift as tragic, revealing a complicated portrait of a vibrant star. Previously unreleased archival footage and audio unearthed by Clift’s brother Brooks offer a different look at Monty: one of warmth. Here the focus is put back on the icon’s passions, his hard work, and his enduring legacy as an artist.