Val (film)

Val is a 2021 American documentary film directed and produced by Leo Scott and Ting Poo.[2] It follows the life and career of actor Val Kilmer. The film had its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival on July 7, 2021, and was released in a limited release on July 23, 2021, prior to digital streaming on Prime Video on August 6, by Amazon Studios.

Val
Promotional poster
Directed by
  • Leo Scott
  • Ting Poo
Written byVal Kilmer
Produced by
  • Val Kilmer
  • Leo Scott
  • Ting Poo
  • Andrew Fried
  • Dane Lillegard
  • Jordan Wynn
  • Ali Alborzi
  • Brad Koepenick
  • Tom Stratton
Starring
  • Val Kilmer
Narrated byJack Kilmer
CinematographyVal Kilmer
Tom Stratton
Leila El Hayani
Edited by
  • Leo Scott
  • Ting Poo
Music byGarth Stevenson
Production
companies
Distributed by
Release dates
  • July 7, 2021 (2021-07-07) (Cannes)
  • July 23, 2021 (2021-07-23) (United States)
  • August 6, 2021 (2021-08-06) (Prime Video)
Running time
108 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Synopsis

The film follows the life and career of actor Val Kilmer, including footage of Kilmer shot by himself throughout his career, footage of his childhood, and home movies.[3] The film showcases his battle with throat cancer and gives a behind the scenes view of his personal life, including the childhood death of his brother Wesley, his eight-year marriage to actress Joanne Whalley, and their children Mercedes and Jack.

Production

Leo Scott initially began working as an editor with Harmony Korine on his short film The Lotus Community Workshop, where he came across Val Kilmer's archive, digging through 800 hours of footage, with Ting Poo boarding the project later on.[4][5] The footage, which Kilmer had shot for years, featured him growing up, attending school, auditioning, his career, and family.[6] Previously, the footage had sat in boxes for years, and once Kilmer was diagnosed with cancer and began losing his voice, it made him want to tell his story.[7] The film is narrated by Kilmer's own words, through his son Jack Kilmer.[8]

In May 2021, it was announced that Amazon Studios had acquired the US and Latin American rights for Val.[1]

Release

The film had its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival on July 7, 2021.[9] It had a limited release in theaters on July 23, 2021, prior to digital streaming on Prime Video on August 6, 2021.[10]

Reception

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 94% based on 124 reviews, with an average rating of 7.8/10. The website's critics consensus reads, "An absorbingly reflective documentary that benefits from its subject's self-chronicling, Val offers an intimate look at a unique life and career."[11] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 73 out of 100, based on 29 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[12]

See also

References
  1. McClintock, Pamela (May 27, 2021). "Val Kilmer Doc Set By Amazon Studios and A24 (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved May 27, 2021.
  2. Roger Ebert.com
  3. D'Alessandro, Anthony (May 27, 2021). "Amazon Studios Takes U.S. & Latin America On 'Val', A24 Documentary About Actor Val Kilmer". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved May 27, 2021.
  4. Kohn, Eric (July 6, 2021). "How Decades of Val Kilmer's Home Movies Became an Intimate Documentary Years in the Making". IndieWire. Retrieved July 24, 2021.
  5. Handler, Rachel (July 7, 2021). "Val Kilmer Is Finally the Main Character". Vulture. Retrieved July 24, 2021.
  6. Olsen, Mark (July 23, 2021). "How Val Kilmer's children helped tell his story in the intimate documentary 'Val'". The Los Angeles Times. Retrieved July 24, 2021.
  7. Coyle, Jake (July 14, 2021). "Val Kilmer on a life in illusion and the new doc 'Val'". The Washington Post. Retrieved July 24, 2021.
  8. Utichi, Joe (July 8, 2021). "Val Kilmer's Life Captured In 'Val' By Family And Friends: "He's A Filmmaker" – Cannes Studio". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved July 24, 2021.
  9. "The films of the Official Selection 2021". Cannes Film Festival. June 3, 2021. Retrieved June 8, 2021.
  10. Sharf, Zack (July 6, 2021). "'Val' Trailer: Val Kilmer Tells His Life Story Through Four Decades of Home Videos". IndieWire. Retrieved July 6, 2021.
  11. "Val". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved July 18, 2022.
  12. "Val Reviews". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved August 6, 2021.
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