Starring James Franco in a career-defining performance as Allen Ginsberg, “Howl” is the story of how the young poet’s seminal work broke down societal barriers in the face of an infamous public obscenity trial. In his famously confessional style, Ginsberg — poet, counter-culture icon, and chronicler of the Beat Generation — recounts the road trips, love affairs, and search for personal liberation that led to “Howl,” the most timeless work of his career. HOWL interweaves three stories: the unfolding of the landmark 1957 obscenity trial; an imaginative animated ride through the prophetic masterpiece; and a unique portrait of a man who found new ways to express himself, and in doing so, changed his own life and galvanized a generation.