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Kurt Cobain: Montage of Heck

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Kurt Cobain: Montage of Heck

Released Apr 24, 2015

2h 12m

Documentary

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

97%

Tomatometer

94 Reviews

81%

Popcornmeter

5,000+ Ratings

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.

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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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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Pete B

This one hits hard. It’s raw, sometimes uncomfortable, but also really intimate. The animation sequences are such a cool touch, and you really feel like you’re inside Cobain’s head at times. Not always an easy watch, but definitely powerful.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

03/25/25

Full Review

Martijn t

This is a sort of authorized documentary - Cobain's daughter Frances is an executive producer - so Morgen had access to a lot of Cobain's personal notebooks, video and recordings, both personal and music. He uses a lot of them, sometimes aided by great animations by Hisko Hulsing (Undone). However, although Morgen has access to all of Nirvana's music and uses a lot of it (a good thing), the focus of the documentary is completely on 'Kurt Cobain, mental health patient'. The only band member that in the documentary is Krist Novoselic, but he never gets to talk about Cobain's artistic process. All of Nirvana's success is discusses in terms chart positions and crowd size, never on artistic merits. After watching this documentary you wouldn't even know Nirvana's debut album is called Bleach. Worse is that the line between 'intimate' and 'voyeuristic' got crossed several times for me. Morgen just shows very intimate diary writings and home video for the emotional effect, even though he also makes clear that if there is one thing Cobain hated, it was journalists digging in his private life.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

01/12/25

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Oaklee D

A decent documentary.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

08/18/24

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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

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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

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Luis G

the best rock documentary

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

04/17/23

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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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: Brett Morgen, Danielle Renfew Behrens
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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