When Kulap Vilaysack was 14, she took her father's side in an argument and her mother replied, "Why are you defending him? He's not your real dad." Twenty years later, she's finally ready to learn what that means. ORIGIN STORY is a feature-length, international quest with stops in Los Angeles, Minnesota, and Laos to meet the biological father she never knew. On the road, unforeseen revelations strike as hilarious or heartbreaking, rarely in between. An avid comic book reader with a vigilante character named after her in the DC Comics universe, she must summon the courage of Katharsis, because each question is another step out on a limb. ORIGIN STORY is a deeply personal but universally relevant tale of immigration, conflict, addiction, and personal responsibility. Interviewees in the film include extended family, husband Scott Aukerman, and close friends, like Sarah Silverman, Casey Wilson, June Diane Raphael and Howard Kremer.
O filme conta a história do mestre em manipular sua platéia, Andy Kaufman que conseguia provocar gargalhadas, silêncios profundos, lágrimas e até gritos. Ao convidar o público para ir tomar leite com biscoitos ou desafiar mulheres para lutas mistas, ele se especializou em criar atuações tão reais que até seus amigos mais íntimos nunca estavam certo de onde estava a verdade. Embora tido, entre outras descrições, como duende niilista, guerrilheiro Zen, comediante dadaísta e o primeiro artista de verdade, Kaufman sempre preferiu pensar que era simplesmente um homem da música e da dança.
