VAL Trailer

Get up close and personal with Val Kilmer in Val, a documentary about the longtime star’s tumultuous life.

When you think of Val Kilmer, you probably think of movies from decades ago. Top Gun, Tombstone, The Doors, and movies that don’t start with T like Heat and Batman Forever solidified his place in the cultural consciousness, even if he didn’t manage to sustain his career like some of his fellow stars. He still works, of course, it was just in much smaller roles until his career was put in real jeopardy by a bout with throat cancer. Now recovered, he is searching for what his life will be like going forward by looking at his past.

A large portion of the documentary is made up of Kilmer’s personal films, the result of a life spent carrying around a camera as well as appearing in front of it. This promises a treasure trove of behind-the-scenes footage from all sorts of famous productions as well as a potentially poignant, uncomfortable look at his incredibly unusual life. Fitting, then, that longtime editors Ting Poo and Leo Scott direct this deep dive, as it seems much of the battle was sorting through existing footage to create a story.

There’s always a danger with personal projects like this that the documentary will devolve into a puff piece, but glowing reactions from the film’s premiere at the Cannes Film Festival indicate it’s avoided this pitfall and is a worthwhile look at the longtime actor’s life.

Val is directed by Ting Poo and Leo Scott. It will be released in the US in theaters on July 23rd and on Prime video on August 6th. Further release dates are not currently known.

Will you check this one out? Let us know in the comments!