Behind the Candelabra

What Elton John and Lady Gaga are today, Liberace (Michael Douglas) was in the 70s in one person. As a ianist, entertainer in Las Vegas and superstar of pompous shows, an audience of millions lay at his feet. On stage and in private, he elevated luxury and glamour to his lifestyle. Long fur coats, glittering costumes, golden candlesticks and masses of expensive jewelry were his trademarks. Several Rolls-Royces were part of his fleet, and 39 grand pianos alone adorned his private villa. Everything was in abundance - and he himself once said: "Too much of a good thing is wonderful". In the summer of 1977, an attractive young man enters his dressing room after a big performance: Scott Thorson (Matt Damon), a simple boy from the provinces, who is transformed by Liberace into the prince at his side. A close affair develops between the two, kept a closely guarded secret for years. A tragic-fascinating love story that becomes more and more intense - and which, over time, is accompanied by excess and plastic surgery as well as great feelings, vanity and jealousy...