Kurt Cobain About A Son

Kurt Donald Cobain ( February 20, 1967 – c. April 5, 1994), was an American musician, best known for his roles as lead singer, guitarist, and songwriter for the Seattle-based rockband Nirvana.
Cobain formed Nirvana in 1987 with Krist Novoselic

Kurt Cobain About A Son
documentary
Sidetrack films


To review a film that you don't like is usually not worth the effort. Given the plethora of memorable, enjoyable and valuable films begging for attention i wouldn't undertake to do this thankless job except.........

Kurt Cobain About A son is an exception. The running time is 1:36.48 which translates into well over two hours of listening to a few men ramble on about a relatively uneventful , non remarkable life, past and relatively present of the son of a middle American tree logger who didn't understand children nor did he seem to strive to gain this knowledge or any other knowledge of particular value.
The son, however, needs to break out of the town of primary origin, Aberdeen, He is in search of a non existent place where he envisions himself comfortable. Eventually he enters the demanding almost inhuman world of the celebrity punk rock music star with equal distaste and difficultly.

This story of human ascendancy is worth maybe an hour and a half. There are no exceptional film sets, no outstanding character arcs.few interesting faces to feast one's eyes upon Editing by a sympathetic and competent professional is sorely lacking
But
what this film has, what compelled me to see Kurt Cobain About A Son more than once was the visual images. From frame to frame, the transitions were awesome, each frame arresting.

Kurt Cobain About a Son is a movie for an aspiring film maker, for a visual artist, for anyone who would not hesitate to turn off the sound to enhance the visual experience with silence.

But this film is not about Kurt Cobain, It does not feature his death, it sidesteps the impact of the devastating journey that led to this momentous self mutilating event which inspired other troubled youths to follow in his wake.
The film goes so far out of its way to avoid what is most pressing about Kurt Cobain that it fails as a film. It stands alone as a film worthy of viewing while silence reigns.

A note about the man, Kurt Cobain. He was riddled with conflict that he could never own up to. He loved to be different and he seemed singularly unable to understand or accept the price of his detachment from those he needed most, his fans, his friends, his environment. But what really mattered more than the development of his person, or his art was his state of perpetual pain that set him apart from life, from others.
He was a man possessed of pain turned into anger that he tried to disown and mitigate with his four hundred dollar a day drug habit, and his music. Tragically, he failed.

I recommend this film with a heavy dose of reservation. Maybe one day it will be redone with a better focus captured in a shortened version.

LindaZ
WFCC
WBAI Women's collective