THE MYSTERIES OF VAL KILMER
Unseen 16 mm Footage Of A Hollywood Life
Do you have the need? The need for speed? Well, if you do, PROVOKRs, you’re going to love the documentary Val, an autobiographical portrait of Iceman himself, Val Kilmer.
Throughout his lifetime, Kilmer has taken out his 16mm video recorder and documented his life. It all started in the LA suburbs, where Kilmer, his brother, Wesley, and their friends would gather together and make films. With decades of footage, Kilmer enlisted the help of directors and editors Leo Scott and Ting Po. Together they sifted through the thousands of home videos that made up the snapshots of Kilmer’s life — from his start as a young stage actor to writing his one-man play, Citizen Twain, and its film adaptation. It even touches on his side of the story on famed sets like Batman, on which he was deemed “psychotic.”
He told Vulture that some of the moments brought to life his past in ways he didn’t expect, especially when he found his brother’s films. Those, along with others, were some of his favorite films to uncover.
“Wesley — he was a genius,” he said. “My mother also passed during the shooting of [Val] and there is some beautiful footage [from that time]. Ting and Leo’s mastery brought her to life. And anything with Marlon (Brando). I loved him.”
After being diagnosed with throat cancer in 2017, Kilmer nearly lost the ability to speak. Because of that, his son, Jack, performs the narration in a touching homage to his father.
Val premiered at the Cannes Film Festival to rave reviews. Deadline wrote: “Val is an exhilarating, honest and raw look at the life of an actor, this actor, with all the trials and tribulations that go with a 40-year career in front of audiences (he is in the upcoming sequel Top Gun Maverick), the victories and defeats, the will to carry on despite being dealt a devastating blow for any performer, especially one who finally achieved a dream on getting back on stage with Mark Twain. Ultimately this is a very rewarding look at a life, with cinematography by, of course, Val Kilmer.”
If you love Val and can’t get enough when it hits theaters on July 23, you can catch him later this year in Top Gun: Maverick, the long-awaited sequel to the ’80s classic. That is being released on November 19, so mark your calendars, PROVOKRs. It may be the year of Val Kilmer.
