Member review

The story of Kurt Cobain’s rise to fame and the inevitable downward spiral that led to him taking his own life in 1994 is one that has been covered to the point of exhaustion through the medium of film. Having heard only glowing reviews from the press (that ironically were always wittily scrutinised by him), I decided to watch Cobain: Montage of Heck to see if it lived up to these lofty expectations. I was definitely not disappointed. It is evident from the outset that the director Brett Morgan displays a keen interest in telling the story instead of just exploiting it for money. The film manages to capture the sheer chaos that surrounded Kurt throughout his life and on the flip-side of that, the misery that had a hold on him from a young age. It starts off at quite a pace and continues this throughout the documentary. This picks up from where the other documentaries failed as their plodding narratives made it a chore to engage. Even at the speed that it is set at there is still prominent sentimentality. The medium through which his life is told varies as Brett Morgan was given access to journals, recording and home footage. The present day interviews are intertwined with animation which is accompanied by recordings of Kurt telling stories, grainy Super 8 film (courtesy of those who authorised the use of it), journal notes and drawings which have been brought to life via convincing CGI. It is a relief that a chronological path was followed when making this and not attempting to make it into a behind the crime scene type documentary. After the brief and snappy opening the tone shifts as home video is shown of Cobain when he was a child. These scenes seem joyous but there is a hint of melancholy as you can’t help but think about the tragic fate that he is destined to endure. The interviews don’t meander on as they have done in previous documentaries but are brief and relevant. There is the notable absence of the ex-drummer and Foo Fighters frontman: Dave Grohl but Morgan justified this by stating that he was only available late on in the project to interview so as a result his segments didn't make the final cut. Halfway through the film as copies of Nevermind go flying of the shelf and commercial success is synonymous with their name, there are a few scenes which are exhilarating as they perform live to the masses of newly gained fans. These scenes elevate you and act as a metaphorical shot in the arm however as soon as these montages finish you are left with the drawbacks of fame and a hectic live set where Kurt Cobain does obscene things right in front of the lens of the camera that’s filming. The cut between these two key moments illustrates perfectly how the film manages to make it a visceral experience for the viewer as they see both sides of the spectrum, this is part of the charm of the Montage of Heck. It is not a light watch as it does delve quite deep into the psyche of a troubled genius and is unrelenting at giving you nothing but the truth. Most importantly it does not try to glamorise the lifestyle that he leads which is key as the impressionable may otherwise idolise this. The soundtrack featured in the film is mainly a collage of Nirvana songs some from studio albums and some from their live sets. On top of this there are instrumental versions of their songs that are played using glockenspiels, key-based instruments and in some cases an orchestra. The most powerful uses of this are at the start when clips from his childhood are being shown with a version of All Apologies that has a soporific quality to it and when an animated imitation of Kurt uses an illegal substance and a haunting string-laden Smells like teen spirit cover plays in the background as he hallucinates. Morgan advertised the soundtrack as being “A Kurt Cobain solo album” there was much rumination on the internet about whether the “unreleased” material was just some demos that had been doing the rounds on the internet for years. These theories were set aside when the CD was released. I have listened to it in its entirety, it lasts about an hour and is a compilation of demos, odd sketches and recordings made by a man who required constant mental stimulation. The material is original however that’s not to say that it’s quality. Sure there are some highlights like the stripped down, bare boned acoustic versions of Sappy and Frances Farmer will have her revenge on Seattle (which in my opinion is their best song). These bleak demos are in the same vein as their unplugged set on MTV as they consume you with overwhelming misery. But unlike the film the one-hour course which they run gets tiresome especially when some of the tracks are just him experimenting with feedback. Oddly enough there is some humour amongst all the gloom, he does an impression of a Lake jam commercial which is bizarre but also strangely entertaining. The early, late eighties demos have a melancholic underpinning and Kurt Cobain’s voice (similarly with the MTV unplugged album) manages to deliver as many shivers down your spine as Jeff Buckley could. As the film reaches the final days of his life, things get increasingly more unsettling as journal scrawlings depict turmoil and bear controversial statements. As the sessions for In Utero get under way the tone of the album reflects how he felt at the time as he originally wanted to call it "I hate myself and I want to die" (which he claims was a joke). Tensions rise between the band and a brooding undercurrent in Kurt and Courtney Love's relationship. This results in Nirvana's MTV unplugged performance. The final scene of the film is Kurt's harrowing interpretation of Leadbelly's "Where did you sleep last night?" as this comes to a close information is displayed on the screen detailing the events surrounding his death. After this finishes the credits roll and Nirvana's cover of "Ain't it a shame" (also by Leadbelly) brings the whole thing neatly to an end. Verdict: If you are not a fan it might appear too intimate but for those who are it is a must watch as it is a goldmine for interviews and insights into his life, this will come as a relief to many who have spent hours scouring the internet for this sort of thing. In addition to that it is a well made film and has raised the bar for biopic documentaries.