Kurt Cobain elucidates about family, fatherhood, punk and pop throughout this alternative documentary. Taken from interviews with Michael Azzerad from 1992-1993, Cobain comes across partially as the insecure, tortured artist that he’s been portrayed by the media as, but mostly just a regular guy who wants to make music and look after his family. The story is, of course, very familiar, but the detail of the conversation often offers fascinating opinions and rarely heard anecdotes that really illuminate a public figure that few got to know.
The accompanying visuals taken from Washington State are beautifully structured and add atmosphere to Cobain’s narrative. The soundtrack, pinned by a melancholy score, features songs that influenced his life with The Vaselines’ Son of a Gun and Teenage Fanclub’s Star Sign proving to be uplifting moments. As the closing photos finally focus on Cobain’s face, it’s a poignant reminder that he was a father and son; despite his fame, like so many others.
