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Cobain: Montage of Heck

Cobain: Montage of Heck

Documentary · Music · 2015

Hailed as one of the most innovative and intimate documentaries of all time, experience Kurt Cobain like never before in the only ever fully authorized portrait of the famed music icon. Academy Award nominated filmmaker Brett Morgen expertly blends Cobain's personal archive of art, music, never seen before movies, animation and revelatory interviews from his family and closest friends.

Movie details

Cobain: Montage of Heck

2015 Documentary · Music 2h 12m

Critical arithmetic

One number, for now.

TMDB

7.6 / 10

Community rating

Hailed as one of the most innovative and intimate documentaries of all time, experience Kurt Cobain like never before in the only ever fully authorized portrait of the famed music icon. Academy Award nominated filmmaker Brett Morgen expertly blends Cobain's personal archive of art, music, never seen before movies, animation and revelatory interviews from his family and closest friends.

CriticWise case file

What this film says about your taste.

Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.

The archetype split

Who fights over Cobain: Montage of Heck?

The split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.

Taste neighbourhood

Nearby on the taste map.

TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.

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Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

Brett Morgen

Written by

Brett Morgen

Kurt Cobain

Kurt Cobain

Self (archive footage)

Courtney Love

Courtney Love

Self

Krist Novoselic

Krist Novoselic

Self

Dave Grohl

Dave Grohl

Self (archive footage)

Frances Bean Cobain

Frances Bean Cobain

Self (archive footage)

Pat Smear

Pat Smear

Self (archive footage)

Dale Crover

Dale Crover

Self (archive footage)

Court is in session

Put Cobain: Montage of Heck on trial.

Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.

The defence The Prestige Tourist

“Ambition earns the room.”

The film reaches for consequence and scale, accepting the risk of seriousness instead of shrinking from it.

The prosecution The Popcorn Loyalist

“Importance has entered the chat.”

The production keeps announcing its significance, as though awards-season posture were proof of insight.