I was in grade 6 in 1991; the year punk broke. Guns ‘N Roses, Poison and Aerosmith were just some of the names you’d typically find on any 13-16 year old’s mixed cassette tapes. (Recorded over top of the DJ Jazzy Jeff and The Fresh Prince, Bel Biv Devoe and C+C Music Factory tracks that were now passe.) It was also the year that the kids at school suddenly started trading in their skull and crossbones t-shirts and metallica novelty wallets for pajama tops, cardigan sweaters and converse all-stars. Grunge was all the hype and Seattle single handedly erased the mixed tapes of kids across the world, replacing big shot ball busting stadium rock acts with the likes of Mudhoney, Mother Love Bone, Temple of the Dog, and of course, Nirvana. AJ Schnack’s ‘About a Son’ is not just a documentary about Kurt Cobain, but a nostalgic look back at a time that definitely doesn’t feel like more than a decade ago.

The film is based around a series of interviews conducted by Michael Azerrad while researching his official Nirvana biography, ‘Come As You Are’. Azerrad was sure to document all of his encounters with Kurt on cassette tape, and has since held on to these priceless pieces of music history until he found a trust worthy filmmaker to help him release them. Enter AJ Schnack, director of ‘Gigantic: A Tale of Two John’s’, and his unique approach to helping tell Kurt’s story. The film wouldn’t contain any footage of Nirvana, nor would it contain a single Nirvana song. Kurt would, in a way, narrate the doc, accompanied by scenic shots of the very locations he grew up in; Aberdeen, Olympia, and Seattle. The soundtrack would consist of the music which inspired Kurt’s own songwriting. Those bands which he so openly supported and promoted, opening the minds of millions of kids to the underground punk rock and indie music he grew up with.

Cinematographer Wyatt Troll does a great job capturing the tone for About a Son’s sometimes humurous, yet mostly meloncholy atmosphere. Seeing as the film was shot over a decade after Cobain’s death, the modern setting was a little off-putting at first. Some of the kids in this film were more than likely not even old enough to experience Nirvana’s initial impact. But in a way, the youth of today are possibly even more relevant, as these are the kids who are basking in a post-Cobain music industry in which punk rock and independent artists are seeing much deserved mainstream success.

Cobain himself is unusually open throughout the film, yet still setting boundaries for what he’s willing, and not willing, to talk about. His insistence that his personal life is ‘none of your fucking business’ may sound smarmy, but is completely true. Cobain seems truley dumbfounded as to what exactly people find so interesting about him, and after listening to these conversations, I’d almost agree with him. This isn’t a slam against Cobain, but rather a testment to Azerrad’s interviewing skills and Schnack’s ability to pull only the most sincere and human elements of these conversations. What you’re hearing is Kurt Cobain openly talking about growing up, dealing with his problems and experiencing the downside of the fame that i’m not entirely convinced he didn’t want.

The only real downside to About a Son is it’s somewhat narrow target audience. This film probably isn’t for non-Nirvana fans. That’s not to say this film couldn’t win the appreciation of an uninitiated music lover, but rather those who’ve yet to be won over by the songwriting or life story of Cobain will most likely find nothing of interest. Perhaps even some Nirvana fans may be somewhat disappointed by the film’s nontraditional approach. For myself, About a Son is a refreshingly original take on the rockumentary that does us all a favour and let’s Cobain do the talking.

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