Review

If you are looking for a Nirvana concert movie, this isn’t it. There is no Nirvana music in this documentary, but this thoughtful, somewhat experimental film provides an unprecedented view into the psyche of one of the world’s most enigmatic musicians. Using recordings made of Cobain during the last years of his life, AJ Schnack manages to use the artist’s own words to paint a moving portrait of a tortured, idealistic soul whose dreams came true only to destroy him. It’s strangely moving to hear a dead man talk about his life. Cobain doesn’t hold back, opening up about his chronic depression, poor health, debilitating insecurities, creative passion and his desires and disappointments. His musings are set against gorgeously filmed images of everyday life in the Pacific Northwest. This nonlinear visual poem perfectly compliments the narrative of Cobain’s life, from its inauspicious beginning to its final chapter a few months before his death. Dying young has added a mythic quality to Cobain’s life. This ethereal film breaks the documentary mold, and we can only assume Cobain (a true iconoclast) would have wanted it that way.

 -- Jennifer Steinberg