Kurt Cobain: Montage of Heck

While other filmmakers have made documentaries about Nirvana singer-songwriter Kurt Cobain (1967-1994), Brett Morgen's Montage of Heck is likely to prove definitive, especially since Morgen had unfettered access to family members and archival material. Serving up a chronological biography, the film interweaves home movies with insightful interviews. Some speakers, like Cobain's mother, Wendy O'Connor, have never talked about him on camera before, but agreed to participate after Kurt's daughter, Frances Bean Cobain, signed on as producer. So it's somewhat surprising that the documentary paints a fairly critical portrait. O'Connor praises her son's musical talent as a child, but says that after her divorce from Don Cobain, Kurt never recovered from his feelings of betrayal (this thematic thread runs throughout, making Kurt seem more emotionally stunted than sensitive and sympathetic). Morgen draws on journal entries, drawings, and audiotapes to track the stages of Cobain's development, skillfully editing the material together (although the animated segments, which depict Kurt in private moments, seem extraneous). Since the director opted to focus on Cobain's point of view, he keeps interviews to a minimum, but does include key figures such as Nirvana bass player Krist Novoselic, and Cobain's widow, Courtney Love. Morgen appears to have little interest in rehashing the details of Cobain's suicide—one of the music world's more tragic losses—but otherwise does a fine job of telling Cobain's story. Extras include bonus interviews and a photo gallery. Recommended. Aud: C, P. (K. Fennessy)