Joining NEON’s roster of eclectic new features—Cronenbergian surgery porn, metaphysical mothers and daughters, and cunning European pornstars—Rebeca “Beba” Huntt’s autobiographical documentary, Beba, finally has its trailer after debuting at the Toronto International Film Festival last September.
The documentary, described as a “cinematic memoir,” surveys Huntt’s childhood and adolescence living in New York City as the daughter of Dominican and Venezuelan immigrants. As per the film’s official synopsis, “Huntt investigates the historical, societal, and generational trauma she’s inherited and ponders how those ancient wounds have shaped her, while simultaneously considering the universal truths that connect us all as humans.”
Take a look:
The trailer appears personal though unsentimental, splicing together vibrant footage of beach getaways and old family photos with Huntt’s narration of familial dysfunction and arguments about maternal love. From these snippets alone, it would appear that Beba will broach Huntt’s identity as an Afro-Latina artist and American through the lens of political and ancestral strife. “I’m going to war,” says Huntt at one point in voiceover, “and there will be casualties.”
Beba is Huntt’s first feature and has been in development since 2017, when she and producer Sofia Geld began a Kickstarter for the film, accruing support from producers and press alike. Beba is said to include animation, 16mm footage and found footage, stringing together an eight-year odyssey into the eponymous artist’s past.
