9/10

21 Years ago, Kurt Cobain, the lead singer of the band at the helm of the grunge music revolution, Nirvana, took his life at the age of 27. The events that led to the depressed state of the musician is still a puzzle that hasn’t been solved more than two decades later. Critically acclaimed documentarian, Brett Morgen (On The Ropes), takes the audience through an artful narration of Cobain’s personal writings and drawings in a life that changed forever when the band became the biggest thing in the world. There is so much excellently done with ‘Montage of Heck’. For any fans of Nirvana, you might be a little disappointed, as this is a look strictly at the life of Cobain. That is one thing that i found refreshing about this documentary. It focuses on one man instead of three when trying to comb through what led to the suicide of one of rock’s most prolific frontmen. Complete with interviews from Kurt’s parents, to Courtney Love, to Kurt’s longtime girlfriend, they paint the clearest picture of a human enigma. Morgen makes some artistic choices that pay off incredibly.He shows us Cobain’s personal still-frame drawings coming to life as a metaphor for the events being narrated over. It gives the picture an almost fairytale-like when combined with Cobain’s narration. The film also takes it’s time informing the viewer on the very emotions that Kurt felt with each passing milestone in his life. Other Cobain documentaries haven’t gone as deep into his journal, as well as never-before-seen photos like this one has. I am a huge Nirvana fan, and some of stillshots had my eyes popping in curiosity as to why they have never made print. The sountrack would normally be obvious in a music documentary about a particular band, but Morgen instead decides to add some creative touches to grunge favorites. He plays ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’ as a choir song performed by children, he spins a remix of ‘Heart Shaped Box’ as a piano instrumental, and my personal favorite; recordings of Kurt’s first attempt at crafting songs with only his accoustic guitar and a cheap tape recorder to boot. One particular scene with the ladder has Cobain stopping to answer the phone, and it’s in that authenticity that it never feels like we are watching a movie, but instead right next to Kurt holding the camera. I was so close to giving this film a 10/10, and future watchings may push this film into that immortal territory, but one thing stuck out like a sore thumb in a display of documentary greatness. The film goes into great deal for two hours and twelve minutes, but decides to end abruptly when it reveals that Kurt took his own life. One could interpret that Morgen thinks the audience already knows the story with the after, but i think his legacy post-death is just as important as the story being told. I could’ve used a final word from the people being interviewed, but it never came. Overall, ‘Montage of Heck’ is the greatest musical documentary i have ever seen, and one of my favorite documentaries of all time. Even if you never followed Nirvana, you should see it for it’s peeling of the layers with such a mysterious force who took the world by storm for four flannel filled years. The mystery will never be solved, but Brett Morgen’s patient approach gives the audience the greatest offering of clarity with a film that is a fierce and hammering account of teenage empathy.