Val Kilmer died: how is “val” the moving documentary about the life of a nonconformist who had everything

The sad news was shared by her daughter Mercedes to New York Times. The actor died after fighting pneumonia.

His long career and part of his fight was reflected in a quasi -autobiographical documentary film of 2021 directed and produced by Leo Scott and Ting Poo.

What is Val, the documentary about Val Kilmer

Val kilmer It was Jim Morrison, it was Batman, it was Iceman in Top Gunit was “the saint” … Val kilmer He had a thousand faces and was one of the most sought -after actors in the industry, however that star gradually turned off. Many attributed it to an explosive character in the sets, or bad decisions regarding some papers elections in key moments of their career.

Maybe it was a combination of all that, but now thanks to “Val” We can know much more about this particular character. “A sensitive and intelligent being, but with the soul of a clown,” according to the actor’s own words.

The documentary is structured in two temporal lines. On the one hand we have an extensive collection composed of the home videos of the actor, from his childhood and his passage through the prestigious school of action Juilliardand the personal and professional process that the actor lived during the most prominent films in his filmography. On the other hand we see what the actor was how the survivor of a throat cancer that made him lose his voice, and the current state of his career.

“Sometimes I feel sad, depressed and I have a hard time having to travel the country. I don’t see myself well and I am selling my self, my old career. For many, the lowest you can do is talk about your old movies and sell photos of when you were ‘Batman’ or ‘Terminator’ … I don’t want to insult the other actors who travel the world. But this allows me to meet my fans, and in the end I feel very grateful, humiliated … “, it is heard saying Val kilmer in one of the most moving passages of the documentary. There we see him at a Texas festival where one of his most celebrated films is projected, Tombstone (1993). Something that perhaps his self would never have done, at that time was the fuel that kept him alive.

For cinema lovers “Val” It is an unmissable material, it is more than interesting to see the entire archive that killed kilmer of his life. At times we can see cameos from very young people Sean Penn, Kevin Bacon and Anthony Edwards or the auditions that Val made for papers in tapes in which he failed to participate as Full metal jacket (1987) or Godfellas (1990). For those who saw some of their films or simply like a good documentary is an excellent opportunity to see beyond the actor.

There is space for Kilmer reflections about his most iconic roles. The unexpected success with his film debut in the 1984 comedy Top Secret!the rivalries that crossed the screen in Top Gun (1986), the dreamed role as Jim Morrison in The Doors (1991) of Oliver Stonethe disappointment that represented being Batman, the possibility of supporting Robert de Niro and To the Pacino in Heat (1995) and the beginning of decline with chaotic Dr. Moreau Island (1996) where he shared a poster with Marlon Brando.

Val Kilmer’s “difficult” fame

Kilmer was reputed to be a difficult guy in the sets, to have Divo airs, but the documentary shows us an actor of method that always tried to look for challenges in his career. We can also see how the actor tried Joanne Whalleyand their children Jack and Mercedes.

Jack occupies an important part of the documentary, is the one who tells everything his father wrote and could not say to “Val”that narrative is a strong point since it is at times his own son who seems to be knowing his father through the documentary.

“Val” It is an intimate portrait that managed to show Val kilmer In full body, with virtues and defects, with a nostalgic air to a race that after the nineties ceased to be so box office, but that did not stop the actor in the search to follow his concerns.

Despite family tragedies, financial problems and even after cancer, “Val” It manages to show a nonconformist who had everything and nothing, but that despite the blows received, he has always tried to move forward and will always be remembered how one of the great talents of his generation.

“Val” is available in Prime Video.