Movie Review

Kurt Cobain: Montage of Heck

Montage of Heck has been long awaited by Nirvana devotees, and for good reason. This documentary provides an incredibly intimate view of the man who was “a voice for a generation”. From the home videos featuring baby Kurt to the fly on the wall view of his marriage with Courtney Love we travel alongside him on the path from Aberdeen, Washington to worldwide acclaim. This much heralded doco features exclusive footage and lifts directly from Cobain’s diaries and scribbles.

The very early footage of Kurt Cobain as a toddler is surreal. Layered beneath an epic soundtrack of Nirvana classics and previously unheard Cobain originals, it is absolutely captivating to watch a young Cobain grow from toddler to teen. Hisko Husling provides animation of Kurt Cobain as a teenager; getting stoned, acting out and eventually attempting suicide. The animator also brings Cobain’s journals to life. This gives the audience a sense that we are staring into Cobain’s mind. The beautifully animated handwriting provides the viewer with a truly intimate experience.

Purchasing the DVD as opposed to torrenting the film not only protects you against the data-retention boogeyman, but gives you further insight. The DVD release includes an extended interview with Don Cobain, Kurt’s father. Interviews and first person accounts of Cobain pepper the archival footage providing insight into what it was like to be close to the attention shy rocker. Cobain’s mother describes hearing Nevermind for the first time and bursting into tears, not of joy but of fear for her son, barely ready for the spotlight into which he would soon be thrust. The ever-controversial Courtney Love appears first in footage of a sound check and later discusses some of the scandal surrounding her pregnancy with Frances Bean Cobain, one of the film’s executive producers.

The film, unlike many others, choses to focus on Cobain’s life and not his death. It ends with a note regarding Cobain’s suicide. Part of Cobain’s ongoing legacy is his relatability. Nirvana was and still is a success because the music, and the humble front man, struck a chord with audiences. This film is an absolute must-see for younger Nirvana fans who grew up knowing how the story ends. As a 22 year old who listened to Nirvana as a teenager wishing there was more and learning everything I could about the tragic tale, this film was fascinating and enriching. It almost took me back in time, to see the events of the early nineties unfold as they happened.

Of course, it’s good viewing for all Nirvana fans, young and old. I’d recommend this film to pretty much anyone interested in music history, regardless of whether they are particularly into grunge or not. Nirvana had a profound influence on music into the 21st century and this film takes a good look at a legend.

- Molly Stegman

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