The day before its Cannes Film Festival premiere, Amazon Studios released the trailer for “Val,” a documentary about the life and career of actor Val Kilmer.
“My name is Val Kilmer; I’m an actor,” a narrator says in the trailer. “I’ve lived a magical life and captured quite a bit of it. I was the first guy I knew to own a video camera.”
Through Kilmer’s own documentation, audiences will get a first-hand account of the actor’s journey from making 16 mm home movies with his brother to performing in iconic roles for blockbusters like “Top Gun,” “Batman Forever,” “Tombstone” and “The Doors.” Perhaps more revelatory will be a behind-the-scenes look at Kilmer’s life between films, as seen in moments in the trailer when he’s paling around with Sean Penn and Kevin Bacon. Pulling from thousands of hours of footage, the film spans four decades.
Kilmer also opens up about his throat cancer diagnosis and admits that he still recovering and that because it is difficult to speak, he has a hard time being understood. It’s prompted him to want to tell his story more than ever.
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“I spent decades finding my voice through characters,” Kilmer’s says over the Pixies’ “Where is My Mind.” “I’ve tried to see the world as one piece of life.”
“Val” is directed by Leo Scott and Ting Poo, who produce alongside Kilmer, Andrew Fried, Dane Lillegard, Jordan Wynn, Brad Koepenick and Ali Alborzi. Ben Cotner serves as executive producer. It hits theaters July 23 and releases on Prime Video Aug. 6.
Watch the full trailer below.