2015 Is All About Kurt Cobain At The Movies

It’s been over a decade since he died, but that doesn’t mean that interest in Kurt Cobain has waned. 2015 is turning out to be the year of the Cobain documentary, as there are two high profile releases about the former Nirvana frontman, although the rollout of the two projects could not be more different.

Montage of Heck
The first of the two to premiere, Montage has been out for most of the year now, and it is collecting some pretty serious acclaim. The film, which incorporates everything from childhood videos to several different types of illustrations, debuted at this year’s Sundance, and went on to screen at several other festivals. Heck was produced with the cooperation of his family, as his widow Courtney Love was the one who wanted the project to kick off. In addition to a festival run, it aired on HBO as well as in select theaters, and now the documentary is currently up for several Emmy Awards.
Soaked In Bleach
In almost direct comparison is the documentary/fictionalized take hybrid Soaked In Bleach, which details Cobain’s death. Instead of focusing on stories from the family and his fellow bandmates (as Heck does), this take looks to Tom Grant, the private detective hired by Courtney Love when Kurt went missing.
Only released in June, Bleach has already received pretty intense backlash from fans, as well as from Love herself. She and her lawyers sent the director a cease and desist letter, which he all but ignored, claiming that making the film was his right under the First Amendment. It might not have been a blockbuster, but Soaked In Bleach has drummed up a lot of attention, and there are many who enjoyed it.