Never has there been a more intimate film produced about the trials and tribulations of Kurt Cobain until now. Director, Brett Morgen, has been hard at work since 2007 rummaging through Cobain's diaries and home movies to take us through Kurt's trajectory from childhood to super stardom and finally to his untimely demise. Ultimately, Montage of Heck is the most honest window into the troubled and tortured soul of Kurt Cobain.
Nirvana bassist, Krist Novoselic, sets the tone early with the heartbreaking and remorseful statement, "With 20/20 hindsight, you think, Why didn't I see it? or Why didn't I say something?" Though a sentiment, his ultimate end seemed inevitable.
It is no secret that Cobain's childhood was dreadful and home was broken. This film shed further light on the fact, having been displaced from his and multiple family members' homes in his teenage years. He was an outcast and loner through his formative years, to the point where he attempted suicide for the first time, by way of a train, but fortunately fate went the other way. There is solace that his upbringing inspired such beautiful, though at times, twisted, art.
If you're not fond of Courtney Love, this film will add more fuel to the fire. The most uncomfortable scene to watch is an array of clips of Kurt and Courtney clearly out of their minds of heroin, being ludicrous. Kurt and Courtney's drug use was no secret, but seeing the effects is undoubtedly the most troubling and painful scenes to watch.
One of the overarching themes throughout Montage of Heck was Kurt's overwhelming sensitivity. Novoselic recounts Kurt feeling humiliated and devastated by a small time critic's negative review of their first single. Courtney echoed Novoleslic's claim in telling the cryptic and infamous tale of the Rome incident. Love sheds light that Kurt felt severely betrayed when his wife almost cheated on him, responding by taking 67 Rohypnol pills, overdosing, and going into a coma. This was a month before his untimely suicide at the age of 27.
For better, Montage of Heck, ends without going into any detail of his suicide, as it fades to black and merely states the fact on a plain, black screen.This brilliant film does a splendid job of not withholding the gritty details and benefits from exposing the most intimate view of Cobain. There is no other subject as complicated as Kurt Cobain, but Montage of Heck will live as unequivocally the closest idea of the inner demons of Kurt.
Nirvana bassist, Krist Novoselic, sets the tone early with the heartbreaking and remorseful statement, "With 20/20 hindsight, you think, Why didn't I see it? or Why didn't I say something?" Though a sentiment, his ultimate end seemed inevitable.
It is no secret that Cobain's childhood was dreadful and home was broken. This film shed further light on the fact, having been displaced from his and multiple family members' homes in his teenage years. He was an outcast and loner through his formative years, to the point where he attempted suicide for the first time, by way of a train, but fortunately fate went the other way. There is solace that his upbringing inspired such beautiful, though at times, twisted, art.
If you're not fond of Courtney Love, this film will add more fuel to the fire. The most uncomfortable scene to watch is an array of clips of Kurt and Courtney clearly out of their minds of heroin, being ludicrous. Kurt and Courtney's drug use was no secret, but seeing the effects is undoubtedly the most troubling and painful scenes to watch.
One of the overarching themes throughout Montage of Heck was Kurt's overwhelming sensitivity. Novoselic recounts Kurt feeling humiliated and devastated by a small time critic's negative review of their first single. Courtney echoed Novoleslic's claim in telling the cryptic and infamous tale of the Rome incident. Love sheds light that Kurt felt severely betrayed when his wife almost cheated on him, responding by taking 67 Rohypnol pills, overdosing, and going into a coma. This was a month before his untimely suicide at the age of 27.
For better, Montage of Heck, ends without going into any detail of his suicide, as it fades to black and merely states the fact on a plain, black screen.This brilliant film does a splendid job of not withholding the gritty details and benefits from exposing the most intimate view of Cobain. There is no other subject as complicated as Kurt Cobain, but Montage of Heck will live as unequivocally the closest idea of the inner demons of Kurt.