Beyond the Sea

Darin, born Walden Robert Cassotto, grows up a frail boy in The Bronx, plagued by rheumatic fever. His fragile health and working-class upbringing fuel a stubborn determination to become a performer. He forms a band and starts chasing gigs despite repeated rejections.

He forms a band and struggles to find gigs at any nightclub willing to hire him. He hustles through the local scene, balancing health issues with his growing drive to perform. These early years lay the groundwork for his later professional break.

An agent lands him a recording contract with Atlantic Records, launching him as a teen idol with Splish Splash. He enjoys quick popularity but begins to seek greater artistic range beyond rock and roll. He experiments with his image and repertoire.

He pivots to big band singing, recording major hits such as Mack the Knife. The new style broadens his audience and cements his rise as a versatile performer. He continues to tour and record.

Cast opposite Sandra Dee in Come September, he falls in love with the 18-year-old actress. He seduces and enchants her with songs like Beyond the Sea and Dream Lover, and the two elope, much to her mother's anger. Their romance fuels both his fame and personal life.

Darin is signed to appear at the Copacabana nightclub in Manhattan, realizing his mother's dream of stardom on a big stage. The Copacabana engagement marks a major career milestone and brings him wider recognition. He becomes a central figure in the New York club scene.

As touring keeps him away from home, Dee's drinking worsens and the couple fights, leading to a separation that is later reconciled. They welcome a son, Dodd, during this period, adding new responsibilities to his life. The professional and personal strains test their relationship.

Darin earns critical recognition with an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor for Captain Newman, M.D., where he plays a shell-shocked soldier. The nomination cements his status as a multi-talented entertainer beyond music. This achievement heightens public interest in his life.

In the late 1960s he becomes involved in Robert F. Kennedy's presidential campaign and begins to consider a political path himself. The involvement signals a shift from entertainment to public life. He weighs how his fame could influence national politics.

Nina, his sister, reveals a devastating truth: his mother was actually his grandmother and he is Nina's illegitimate child, the product of a father she cannot identify. The shocking revelation upends his sense of family and personal history. He struggles to come to terms with this hidden lineage.

Devastated, he retreats to a trailer on the Big Sur coast in California, becoming a recluse and withdrawing from the music scene. He finds himself out of step with changing musical trends and doubts his place in the industry. This period tests his resolve and identity.

Undeterred, he stages a comeback by performing at the Flamingo Hotel in Las Vegas with a gospel choir, a bold cross-genre show that proves enormously successful. The triumph shows his enduring charisma and adaptability. The Las Vegas crowd embraces the late-career reinvention.

Following surgery to repair his mechanical heart valve, he contracts blood poisoning and dies at age 37 in a hospital. His death closes a remarkable career, though his music continues to influence audiences. His final chapter reaffirms the idea of a legendary life lived in performance.

After death, he encounters his younger self once more, and the two perform a duet of As Long as I'm Singing. The encounter serves as a reflective coda on a life spent in music and reinvention. It underscores the film's motifs of memory and legacy.