It’s no secret that relentless sexualization and the explosive fame it brings can deeply wound actresses. Take Marilyn Monroe. Or Brigitte Bardot. One of the most globally recognized French women in history, Bardot first became known for flouting the conventions of the 1950s: she openly dated Jean-Louis Trintignant and Alain Delon, Serge Gainsbourg and Gunter Sachs; became independently wealthy through films in which she mesmerized audiences; and bought a home in St. Tropez. But in 1972, at 38, she announced that she’d be retiring from acting. There had been depression, abortions, and multiple suicide attempts—experiences she confronts head-on in Bardot, a new documentary by the French directors Alaian Berliner and Elora Thevenet. The film traces her early life and the animal rights activism that followed her withdrawal from the spotlight. “I was hunted, I was besmirched, I was scorned, very often betrayed,” Bardot says in the film’s unusually candid account. “What is more, I was insulted. That’s why I protect myself.” —Jeanne Malle

Bardot is currently playing in theaters across France, with U.S. and U.K. release dates to follow next year