There have been many films made about Kurt Cobain, but none like Kurt Cobain: Montage of Heck. The documentary marks the first time a handful of footage, writings, and audiotapes either created by or featuring Cobain have ever been seen or heard by the public. The film, directed by Brett Morgen, who is best known for his other rock docs like Chicago 10 and The Kid Stays in the Picture, premiered at Sundance this past winter and will be released on HBO on May 4.
Morgen uses animation to bring Cobain’s tapes and notebook scribbling to life; Cobain’s drawings of headless creatures, to-do lists for his early punk bands, and musings about music and sex quite literally fly around the page. Even some of the shortest sentences and simplest sketches contain a mass of meaning about the legendary rocker.
You learn a lot about Cobain from watching the documentary, and we decided to make a list of the things that stuck with us. Sure, we all may know how fucked up Courtney and Kurt’s love affair was, but we didn’t know she dubbed him "Acne Superstar." We also had an idea Cobain was a crazy kid, but the film reveals just how lonely his childhood was.
Whether you’re a massive Nirvana fan or not, the film is captivating. Cobain remains a relevant, however mysterious, icon not just because he died young, but because he left without answers. Montage of Heck, at last, provides us with some of them.
Meredith Alloway is a writer living in Los Angeles. Follow her @ATWwAlloway.