Kurt Cobain About a Son

I enjoyed these recording of Kurt very much. It gives you a real understanding of how misunderstood Kurt was but also what made him so special. This film goes into Kurts views and how he felt from an out of place kid from Aberdeen to an Iconic rock star that never really wanted to be in the spotlight. A must see or maybe even just listen for any Nirvana fan....Kurt was the definition of " The man who sold the world"

Cinematic Documentary has blossomed the last 10 years as more and more artists find reality interesting enough to make them stay away from "creating a world of their own", a.k.a. fiction. It was matter of time before the musical documentary would take the lead on this new interest in this genre of film-making -just like on TV before.

In those last years countless films have been released on anything that has to do with music -any kind of music. The most interesting of them weren't those about my (or your) favorite artists, but rather the ones that had a real cinematic approach on the way each was presenting the story. Moreover, the best of them were/are those that could be something more than just a "fairy-tale of drugs and self-destruction" or a "scientific musical analysis".

"About a Son" manages to pass this "test". Interested or not in Kurt Cobain, you cant ignore its cinematography; and that alone will be enough for you to sit and watch the film. But beyond this, the structure of the movie and director's subtle comments on Cobain's words are what make this a great documentary.

This is as close and personal you'll ever get to Kurt Cobain on film. Don't miss it.

It's so delightfully refreshing watching these types of "documentary" films. The film is not like many others I have seen as it is highly original and experimental. There is nothing to spoil in this piece really. It's just a really relaxing experience throughout.

It sounds a long time of just simply listening to audiotapes of Kurt Cobain - and it actually is. I disagree when I hear that only people who like Nirvana/Kurt Cobain would enjoy and appreciate the film. For people who really appreciate film language, it is a film to watch too. I have seen it twice now and it does amaze me that I don't get bored. The mild soundtrack in the background along with pictures and video clips makes it a journey while you listen. Basically all of the clips you see are merged together with what he is saying to give a sense of atmosphere and relevance. ( There is no clips of Kurt Cobain or Nirvana. Nor is there any songs. The only small clips of Kurt are at the very end) Without spoiling (even if that's not really possible), there is one particular clip where there is a man walking in the background which is supposed to be Kurt. Therefore it's also a documentary you need to pay attention to, just like any other film.

But if you actually are interested to see this piece because you are a Kurt Cobain fan, you really should have a look. It's probably the film which made me really assured that Kurt Cobain was a true role model. You can read as much about him as you want, but the interviews which this film provides is truly excellent.

It will definitely not suit everyone, but for me it is one of the best crafted documentaries I have ever seen.

I just saw this at the Toronto Film Festival and I wasn't impressed.

While I appreciate the audio interviews captured within this film, I question why a movie was made. I would have enjoyed the film as much if listened to on the way home while I was in traffic. It should have been a CD release, not a film.

The film revolves around some audio recordings that were compiled from a series of late night interviews. There were very intimate details described by Cobain, including how he did care about what people thought about him (as opposed to what most of his friends suggested), and that he wanted to write some pop songs for their albums, but Sub Pop forced them into keeping the albums underground. Some may already be aware of these facts, but I enjoyed learning of them for the first time. The tone in which Cobain spoke felt genuine, and the pacing of the interviews was perfect. These interviews deserve to be heard by any fan of Cobain's, or Nirvana. They were a great listen.

The problem with this film is there isn't a single video clip or photo of Cobain, his family, or Nirvana until the last 30 seconds of the movie. The entire film involves a series of related images that play based on the interviews. An example would be when speaking on his father's job, they show footage of men working at a lumber yard. When Cobain spoke on Seattle, they'd show images of Seattle Record stores, streets and highways. They even had real time images being drawn in the form of artsy cartoons (tree's and grass swaying) during some of the vocals. It was like watching on LONG Fruitopia commercial combined with a film strip about Washington. Unfortunately it also seemed like they had problems clearing for use in this movie.

I understand what the director attempted with the images, but it failed in my eyes. It's almost like they brainstormed how they could generate the most revenue from the interviews, as opposed to having a vision upon hearing them. It feels forced, and I don't need to see this again. Literally. If I ever end up with a copy of the DVD I'll either record the audio to CD, or listen to it with the TV off.

I thought this was an excellent little piece, and this is some of the most honest portrayal of Kurt Cobain you'll ever hear on audio tapes of actual interviews conducted a year before his death. This is not your average documentary and you will not see any clips of Nirvana or really even any pictures or footage of Kurt at all except for a grand total of maybe 2 minutes of short footage of some photographs taken from a few live performances and a few photo shoots. Besides that it is nothing but locations relevant to his life in Washington, mainly Aberdeen, Olympia and Seattle, the main places he's lived in in the 3 main periods of his life.

I found this utterly fascinating and personally I loved the footage of city streets, random everyday people from those cities that Kurt spent his life in, gorgeous views of vistas, cityscapes and other such eye candy to free your mind and let Kurt do all the talking. It never once gets boring despite a great deal of the footage being nothing interesting at all, some parts showing a part of Washington state that is dull, lifeless and depressing, but ultimately it all shows insight into why Kurt became the person he became and gives you images to go with the subjects Kurt is speaking of. I really cannot agree with the negative reviews of this film and I loved it. I am a huge Nirvana fan and I find Kurt Cobain utterly fascinating granted, but I am not a biased fan at all. This is a very very honest portrayal of Kurt Cobain. You might not even like him much when the movie is over. He can be quite depressing and a tragic figure to listen to, but one thing is for sure, he always had something interesting to say and never sugarcoated anything and always spoke from the heart. This is a true look at the real Kurt Cobain in his own words and for that, I commend it highly. My only complaint is that I wish it could have been a bit longer and I wish that there could have been a more complete in-depth analysis of his life as a lot of things were skipped over.