A.J. Schnack's lyrical, hypnotic look at the life and legacy of Kurt Cobain recalls the studied, unhurried filmwork of Terrence Malick (Days of Heaven, Thin Red Line) and Godfrey Reggio (the you-must-see-now Koyaanisqatsi). Dispensing with the usual talking head interviews and the endless footage of Nirvana floating around out there, About a Son instead is composed entirely of lengthy shots of Washington cities navigated by Kurt and Nirvana (Aberdeen, Olympia and Seattle), as well as the people who live there. We see Kurt's high school as it is today, his former places of residence, the U Dub hangouts where a new generation plan their own ascent to rock immortality, and, best of all, Washington's endlessly beautiful landscapes -- forests, mountains, shorelines, as well as its equally stunning urban environments.
The film is narrated by Cobain himself (using audio interviews the singer did with esteemed rock journalist Michael Azeraad as the latter was writing his definitive Nirvana bio Come as You Are). It's a nifty conceit (not dissimilar to the forthcoming Joe Strummer doc The Future is Unwritten), and it lends a human element to the proceedings. The doomed singer talks about pretty much everything: music, love, Courtney Love, drugs, selling out, paranoia, disease, etc... There are times though when you can hear Cobain eating while he talks, which is kind of gross, although it's amusing when Love's voice pops up as she asks Cobain to mix some baby formula before he goes to sleep.
As for the film's music, there are no Nirvana tracks. Instead, the film uses some well-placed tunes from Nirvana's influences (Queen, The Melvins, Bad Brains) and their contemporaries (Butthole Surfers, Teenage Fanclub). And there's a little Band of Horses action near the end.
It should also be noted that the film avoids photos of Cobain until the very end, when seeing such a familiar face after so many intimate revelations is quite powerful.
