The Rise of the Red Hot Chili Peppers: Our Brother, Hillel (2026) on Netflix
R20261h 35mDocumentaryMusic
Hillel Slovak picks up a guitar as a teenager in Los Angeles. He forms a band with friends Anthony Kiedis, Flea and Jack Irons, and shapes the early Red Hot Chili Peppers.
- Netflix3.8/5
- IMDb7.5/104,553 votes
- Rotten TomatoesNot available
Trailer
Plot summary
The documentary follows Hillel Slovak from his birth in Israel and his family's move to Los Angeles, where he meets Anthony Kiedis, Flea and drummer Jack Irons at school. Slovak and Irons play together in Anthym, and later the friends come together in the Red Hot Chili Peppers, gaining attention in Los Angeles clubs. The film gathers memories from current and former band members, along with archival footage of early shows and recording sessions, including a television appearance by Anthym and scenes from the Freaky Styley sessions. Excerpts from Slovak's journals are read in a reconstructed version of his voice, tracing his art, his music and the friendships at the center of the group's first years.
Cast
Did you know?!Facts and trivia about The Rise of the Red Hot Chili Peppers: Our Brother, Hillel (2026)
Can contain spoilers, watch the movie first.
- After Netflix announced the documentary, the Red Hot Chili Peppers said it was wrongly promoted as a band documentary. They described Hillel Slovak as a founding member and friend they agreed to be interviewed about, but said they had nothing to do with the film creatively.
- The documentary used parts of a previously unreleased TV show featuring the band Anthym, called the only known footage of the group with Flea on bass, along with archival footage of the Freaky Styley sessions and the MusiCalifornia show.
- Director Feldman had Slovak's voice recreated with AI to read from his journals, after being moved by a published copy of them. Slovak's family gave permission, and Feldman said hearing the journals in Slovak's own voice was "a critical way to make his [words] feel alive".
- Unseen footage of the band's debut European tour turned up when the documentary's archival researcher, Max Elfimov, asked VPRO director Bram Van Splunteren to share a copy of "Europe By Storm" without subtitles; it was then widely used in the film.
- After Slovak's death, drummer Jack Irons left the Red Hot Chili Peppers, saying he did not want to be part of something that resulted in the death of his friends. Irons later joined Pearl Jam in the 1990s after first declining to join the band.
