It’s no secret that the death of XXXTentacion was a complicated tragedy. It left social media in a state of moral quandary, reckoning with the inherent devastation of a young person dying too soon while also knowing that he committed a great deal of harm against women. This is why the news, via The Fader, that the documentary Look At Me: XXXTENTACION is coming this summer might not thrill everyone; it is opening that can of worms once again. It was originally announced in 2019 and it’s premiering today at SXSW in Austin, but it won’t be available to stream on Hulu until June 10.
The documentary was produced by FADER Films, and directed by Sabaah Folayan who directed 2017’s Whose Streets? about the Ferguson Uprising. Folayan claims that this XXXTentacion documentary will not ignore the complexity of the rapper’s death and will address those issues head-on. “I decided to tell this story because while violence is inexcusable, it is not unintelligible,” Folayan said in a press release. “It has interpersonal roots and generational pathways for both abusers and survivors. I am hopeful that with care from the collective, cycles of violence can be interrupted. Movements like #MeToo have spotlighted the need for improvement in the way masculinity is performed in society. But when, where, and how can this positive change take place? There is no certain solution but what is clear is that the criminal justice and deportation systems are doing more harm than good.”
Look At Me: XXXTENTACION streams 6/10 on Hulu.