| Gritty New Cobain Doc Premieres At IFC Center |
Kurt Cobain: About a Son Oct. 3 - 9, 2007  Kurt Cobain explains about his life and fame on the big screen Now, at the IFC Center, Balcony Releasing and Sidetrack Films are set to present the U.S. theatrical release of "Kurt Cobain: About a Son," a feature-length nonfiction film from director AJ Schnack. Cobain's controversial life and, to some, controversial death have been the subject of numerous films and books in the past, including Nick Broomfield's inconclusive 1998 documentary "Kurt & Courtney." But writer Michael Azzerad's book, "Come as You Are: The Story of Nirvana,"was actually released before Cobain's death, in 1993. The book, which explored Cobain's drug addiction in depth, was based on scores of audio interviews with the band members—the tapes of which became the basis of the new film. The one-of-a-kind "About a Son" is an intimate and moving meditation on the late musician and artist Kurt Cobain told entirely in his own voice—without celebrity sound bites, news clips, sensational tabloid angles or attempts to mimic a grunge aesthetic. Instead, filmmaker AJ Schnack has created something closer to an autobiography of Cobain—a profound firsthand account of Cobain's own successes and failures, thoughts and experiences, allowing the audience unprecedented access to a popular culture legend. Based on more than 25 hours of never-before-heard audiotaped interviews conducted by noted journalist Michael Azerrad for his book "Come As You Are: The Story of Nirvana," the film offers audiences a fascinating reintroduction to one of the most compelling cultural figures of the late 20th century. The conversations are informal, humorous, angry and candid. Cobain recounts his own life, from his childhood and adolescence, to his days of musical discovery and later dealings with explosive fame. "Kurt Cobain: About a Son" offers often piercing insights into Cobain's life, music and times, revealing a highly personal portrait of an artist much discussed but not particularly well understood. Shot entirely on 35mm film, Schnack brings Cobain's Northwest to life in vivid detail: the logging industry where Cobain's father worked, the small bars where local bands played their first shows, the endlessly overcast sky. These images, nearly all of which were filmed in locations that were key to Cobain's life are set to an evocative original score by noted Northwest musician and producer Steve Fisk, who produced Nirvana's "Blew" EP, and Death Cab for Cutie frontman Ben Gibbard, as well as the music of more than 20 artists who influenced or touched Cobain during his life. These elements come together to create an extraordinary look at an ordinary man who went from impoverished indie rocker to world-famous, iconic figure in less than a year. ©Michael Kang 2007 {mos_ri}
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