...the best-documented film on not only the greatest and most influential actor to walk this planet, but on acting itself as an art form. Riley paints Brando’s words with corresponding visuals that perfectly encapsulate the meaning behind the spoken word.

| Jan 24, 2024

Genuinely moving. Fans only, perhaps, but a much better primer than usual...

| Jan 23, 2023

Stevan Riley peels back the layers of one of the most mysterious figures in the history of film, with practically every word spoken by the subject himself. It is an unprecedented coup and perhaps the finest documentary of any entertainment icon ever made.

| Original Score: 5/5 | Apr 7, 2022

Together with family photos and home movies, it makes for an intimate and compelling portrait of a legend.

| Oct 4, 2021

Brando was as fascinating in real life as he was on screen, and this documentary is a great way to get to know him up close and very personal.

| Oct 4, 2021

Riley is in awe of Brando-as he should be. But he should also be critical of that awe.

| Original Score: 2.5/5 | Sep 1, 2021

A biography unlike any other.

| Original Score: 4/5 | Feb 3, 2021

A documentary as masterful and complex as Brando himself, Listen to Me Marlon is the ultimate Brando on Brando.

| Dec 8, 2019

Stylistically Listen to Me Marlon is lyrical, emotive and, for its sheer formal qualities, quite perfect.

| Original Score: 4/5 | Apr 18, 2019

Smug, scene-stealing interviewees get eschewed in favor of a hypnotic multimedia montage. The only "talking head" here is Brando's own deteriorated CGI mug, the "future of acting" already crumbling to pixelated dust.

| Original Score: 5/5 | Apr 17, 2019

The film tells Brando's story with compassion, and, with Brando's own voice, the audience gets a rare glimpse into the mind of a modern artistic genius.

| Original Score: 8/10 | Dec 11, 2018

The film features one voice only - Brando's. It's a surprisingly intimate experience listening in on his life, and seems like a tremendous affront to the man, considering his obsessive need for privacy. Maybe it is.

| Aug 30, 2018

What a life, beset by tragedy and illuminated by brilliance, and [director Stevan] Riley does it proud.

| Original Score: 4/5 | Aug 22, 2018

I found myself walking away with the nagging feeling there was a chunk of the jigsaw puzzle missing from this brooding, morose documentary.

| Aug 21, 2018

Documentaries engineered by a subject's estate deserve a dose of skepticism.

| Aug 21, 2017

Listen to Me Marlon is pro-Brando, but in the best possible way. It allows us to get close to a genius who, the more inside he became, the more he functioned best as an outsider.

| Jun 27, 2017

Much is hinted at, then skipped over. But Brando at least leaves us feeling there were real depths there: the angst was genuine, he took his art seriously.

| Original Score: 3/5 | May 2, 2017

Through its ups and downs, Listen to Me, at its core, is a gift for the fans. It's like an audiobook for the cinephiles and Brando lovers-almost like a bedtime story from Brando himself.

| Original Score: 3.5/5 | Feb 27, 2017

It's a mesmerising look at one of the greats who was, finally and for all that, just a man.

| Original Score: 4.5/5 | May 3, 2016

This is a fascinating, often skilfully made film that will attract anyone with a passing interest in the legend.

| Original Score: Recommended | Mar 21, 2016