Kurt Cobain, whether he liked it or not, was the voice of a generation.  In Brett Morgen’s documentary Kurt Cobain: Montage Of Heck, we’re allowed never before access to Cobain’s family videos, writings, drawings and a chance to make some sense of a man whose brilliance cannot be questioned and whose suicide was a tragedy.

I was never a huge fan of Nirvana and in fact came to the band after Cobain’s death.  Even though I couldn’t find a way into the music initially I was still well aware of their impact.  Nirvana was everywhere when I was in high school and after Cobain’s suicide I was more drawn to his music than ever before and I still maintain that Nirvana’s appearance on MTV Unplugged and the resulting album is a seminal piece of art and some of the best music I’ve ever heard.  So as I started this documentary I was looking for something different, some new insight or new aspects to Kurt Cobain and I certainly wasn’t disappointed.  Montage Of Heck is a a fascinating look at Cobain’s life and it’s jarring to see and hear Cobain as a child in early home videos.  We see him emerge as an artist and the affects that his parents’ divorce had on him.  Morgen uses all of this to tell the story of Cobain’s emergence into music and his exploration of drugs and sex.  We hear these stories in Cobain’s own words and startling animations.  The documentary is beautiful and only enhanced by Cobain’s own artwork.  The access really is what makes this movie stand out from anything else and it’s remarkable to see this man come into shape before our eyes.  Nirvana is started and from there the movie does an excellent job of putting into context just what Nirvana really was.  It’s hard to remember just how enormous they were at the time but Nirvana really did pervade almost every aspect of our lives.  Magazines, television, radio obviously and as the crowds swell, Cobain also starts to step back because as his mother warns, he’s not ready for this.

As intuitive and revealing as the first half of the documentary is I felt everything come to a halt when Courtney Love is introduced.  Morgen seems to become more interested in Love’s take and her impact on Cobain and their relationship.  I can see how enticing it must’ve been to have her there to interview and to have home movies of them together but all of a sudden we’re spending time with them in their apartment doing…well not much.  All of the pace and momentum is lost for a stretch and it’s a real disappointment.  Luckily the focus comes back and by the time Cobain’s drug use and self destruction are closing in on the inevitable we’re treated to more of his own words and insights.  Ultimately I was left with one huge question, what if Cobain had made another decision, where would he be now?  Cobain was a remarkable songwriter but as I learned he was also a gentle soul and someone concerned with others and self aware.  His tragic end leaves all of us wondering how he would’ve changed, how he would’ve shaped his own future and ours along with it.

Recommend? So well done, yes, music and documentary fans need to see this one.