Barbara Rubin and the Exploding NY Underground (2018): cast, story & where to watch

Released in 2018, Barbara Rubin and the Exploding NY Underground is a documentary film directed by Chuck Smith, running about 78 minutes.

What it’s about. The 29-minute experimental film Christmas on Earth caused a sensation when it first screened in New York City in 1964. Its orgy scenes, double projections and overlapping images shattered artistic conventions and announced a powerful new voice in the city's underground film scene. All the more remarkable, that vision belonged to a teenager, 18-year-old Barbara Rubin. A Zelig of the '60s, she introduced Andy Warhol to the Velvet Underground, Bob Dylan to Kabbalah and bewitched Allen Ginsberg. The same unbridled creativity that inspired her to make films when women simply didn't, saw her breach yet another male domain, Orthodox Judaism, before her mysterious death at 35. Lifelong friend Jonas Mekas saved all her letters, creating a rich archive that filmmaker Chuck Smith carefully sculpts into this fascinating portrait of a nearly forgotten artist. An avante-garde maverick, a rebel in a man's world, Barbara Rubin regains her rightful place in film history.

Who’s in it. Barbara Rubin and the Exploding NY Underground stars Jonas Mekas, Amy Taubin, Barbara Rubin as Self (archive footage) and Jim Hoberman, among others.

Where to watch. In US you can stream it on Philo, YouTube TV, Night Flight Plus and Fandor Amazon Channel and rent or buy it from Amazon Video, Apple TV Store and Fandango At Home. See the full, country-by-country breakdown on our where to watch Barbara Rubin and the Exploding NY Underground page.

If you liked it. Fans of Barbara Rubin and the Exploding NY Underground tend to enjoy One Direction: This Is Us, Burn the Stage: The Movie, BTS World Tour: Love Yourself - Japan Edition and Senna.