Kurt Cobain: Montage of Heck

Released Apr 24, 2015

2h 12m

Documentary

List

97%

94 Reviews

Tomatometer

81%

5,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

Filmmaker Brett Morgen uses material from the Cobains' personal archives in an in-depth examination of the Nirvana frontman's childhood, music career and untimely death.

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Critics Consensus

Kurt Cobain: Montage of Heck makes a persuasive case for its subject without resorting to hagiography -- and includes plenty of rare and unreleased footage for fans.

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luiza

extremely visceral, beautiful and true, one of the best and still most painful experiences i've been through in my life. the photography and creativity behind the production is nothing but perfect and its fair to say that the movie had me crying by the end.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

06/26/23

Full Review

Gabriel O

Um filme documentário que retrata perfeitamente toda a vida agitada e curta de Kurt Cobain, um filme muito bem dirigido e produzido, músicas colocadas nos momentos certos, trilha sonora de arrepiar, uma edição muito bem feita, um estilo de filme prosseguindo de maneira fora do convencional mas muito interessante, sem contar as cenas de animação extremamente bem feitas, uma bela homenagem ao icônico cantor. Nota: 94/100

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

06/22/23

Full Review

Luis G

the best rock documentary

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

04/17/23

Full Review

Audience Member

That was quite a ride. I liked it a lot. Sometimes this film tries to not only show how Cobain felt in a particular moment, but also it tries to make feel in the same way he did. I think that's very cool. If you are interested in Nirvana and therefore Cobain, give it a watch.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

01/18/23

Full Review

Audience Member

No documentary about a musical artist in recent memory has ever felt so visceral, so angry, so tragic.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/25/23

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Audience Member

I love and hate this documentary, the first half of it is pure gold such a detailed and personal telling of Kurt growth, the second part feels rushed so much to tell and so little time. The most interesting parts are the interviews to the one closest to him and at times footage takes more screen time than it should. There is still an 8 hour documentary waiting to be made about this man's life. Sadly Cobain's daughter and Dave Grohl are not part of this.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

02/27/23

Full Review

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Brett Morgen

Director

Aaron Burckhard

Self

Don Cobain

Self

Jenny Cobain

Self

Kim Cobain

Self

Jason Everman

Self

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Judy Berman

Flavorwire

Of the many films that have been made about Kurt Cobain, documentary and fiction, [director Brett] Morgen's is the best because what it leaves us with is the one thing that most defined his life: empathy.

Sep 21, 2017

Full Review

Jason Bailey

Flavorwire

It's a rare profile that's about the person instead of the personality, the artist instead of the art.

May 30, 2016

Full Review

Adam Nayman

The Walrus

Montage of Heck isn't an investigation into its subject's death so much as an homage to his creativity and life force -- it's tender and sad.

Feb 29, 2016

Full Review

Frank DiGiacomo

Billboard

There's something claustrophobic and foreboding about the combination, and Cobain, tossed aloft by moshing video extras, looks like a rag doll about to be ripped apart.

Jan 26, 2024

Full Review

Michael J. Casey

Boulder Weekly

Two decades on, the life and work of Kurt Cobain is still being discussed, consumed and processed. Montage of Heck doesn't just contribute to that conversation; it elevates it to a whole new level.

Jul 2, 2019

Full Review

C.J. Prince

Way Too Indie

It's inherently fascinating material, but Morgen's attempt to delve deep into Cobain's life doesn't prove to be especially illuminating.

Jun 5, 2019

Full Review

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Synopsis

Filmmaker Brett Morgen uses material from the Cobains' personal archives in an in-depth examination of the Nirvana frontman's childhood, music career and untimely death.

Director: Brett Morgen
Producer: Sheila Nevins, Frances Bean Cobain, Lawrence Mestel, David Byrnes
Screenwriter: Brett Morgen
Distributor: Universal Pictures
Production Co: End of Music, HBO Documentary Films, Public Road Prods., Universal Pictures Intl. Entertainment
Genre: Documentary
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Apr 24, 2015, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Nov 30, 2016
Runtime: 2h 12m

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