Wed, Jul 29 / 7 pm
Thu - Sat, Jul 30 - Aug 1 / 9 pm
Sun, Aug 2 / 7 pm
Thu - Sat, Aug 6 - 8 / 9 pm
Thu, Aug 13 / 9 pm
Directed by Brett Morgen
2015, USA, 145 min
Produced by Cobain’s daughter Frances Bean Cobain, the film may very well come to be known as the definitive documentary on the musician as it is simply stunning. From his fractured childhood in Washington to the mind-bogglingly meteoric rise of Nirvana’s fame in 1991 to the rapid descent into denouement, it’s all covered here. He’s been able to gather a core group of people at the heart of the musicians’ world that deliver to viewers’ fresh revelations of the iconic star. Morgen unspools Cobain’s life at a frenetic pace.
Being given access to the innermost workings of his mind through his art, writing, recordings and even home movies never feels too invasive although the viewer may get the feeling they’ve walked in on something too serious to handle. Family members speak of Cobain’s genius, of his isolation. Former band-mate Krist Novoselic talks of Cobain’s rage over being publicly humiliated in criticism. Love talks about how infatuated and in love she was with him. These are memories that float like spectres throughout the documentary. It’s the most beautiful form of nostalgia amidst a hurricane of grunge. Kurt Cobain: Montage of Heck is a blistering documentary and the only version of Cobain worth seeing.
