India, Feb. 1 -- If you are not aware of who Barbara Hammer was, you must correct that right away. This intimate new documentary, which celebrates her life and legacy, is also a great place to start. Premiering at the Sundance Film Festival, it is the kind of documentary I look forward to most, perhaps because I have some prior connection and knowledge of the subject. There is always that deep-seated fear whether it will do her justice. Her films, her artistry, the way she confronted the camera and used the visual medium: all of it so uniquely her alone.

Thankfully, it did not last long. The first few minutes of Barbara Forever drove that emotion away. Brydie O'Connor's film is driven by an invigorating, live-wire energy that shoots for ...