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If you saw Kurt Cobain: Montage of Heck when it premiered on HBO on Monday night (or if you’ve watched it since then on HBO Go or HBO Now), you may have spent the last few days re-listening to some of Cobain’s band’s now-classic albums. Need a break from the Nirvana and looking for something related to watch? Here’s a short list of other music documentaries and feature films that are similar or relate to Brett Morgen’s searing, emotional documentary about a brilliant artist whose career was cut too short.
'The Punk Singer' (2013)
As the lead singer of Bikini Kill, Kathleen Hanna played a major role in letting women express themselves through punk music and acted as a powerful female role model as a leading member of the riot grrrl movement in the early ’90s. While the film follows Hanna’s work in Bikini Kill and later Le Tigre, it sheds a light on the feminist punk scene in Olympia and Seattle and offers some fond memories of Hanna’s good friend, Kurt Cobain — including the origin story for the title of Nirvana’s biggest hit, “Smells Like Teen Spirit.” [Where to stream The Punk Singer]
'Hit So Hard' (2011)
While Cobain’s wife Courtney Love may have been the face of her band Hole, Patty Schemel was a major asset to the band’s sound as Hole’s drummer. Like Montage of Heck, Hit So Hard incorporates archival footage of Schemel just before and after Hole released their seminal album, Live Through This. The subsequent world tour, upon which the band embarked just months following the deaths of Cobain and Hole’s bassist Kristen Pfaff, hit highs and lows — the band was a success, but Schemel and Love descended into heavy drug use as they grieved for their loved ones. [Where to stream Hit So Hard]
'Last Days' (2005)
Michael Pitt stars in this feature film as Blake, a musician who shuts himself away from the world and responsibilities in the last days of his life. Clearly an avatar of Kurt Cobain, the central figure in Gus Van Sant’s poetic rumination of depression and isolation represents a fictional assumption of what Cobain’s final days were like. The film also stars Lukas Haas, Asia Argento, and former Sonic Youth bassist (and Cobain’s friend) Kim Gordon. [Where to stream Last Days]
'Singles' (1992)
Nirvana helped break the Seattle rock scene to the mainstream when they released their second album Nevermind in 1991. A year later, Cameron Crowe’s look at dating in the ’90s turned the city’s burgeoning music scene into a bit of a joke (particularly through the character of Cliff Poncier, played by a long-haired Matt Dillon). Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit” was intended to be on the film’s bestselling soundtrack, but it was too big of a hit for the film’s producers to afford it. While Cobain distanced himself from the film, other Seattle musicians had small roles — particularly Pearl Jam’s Eddie Vedder, who played a member of Cliff’s band, Citizen Dick. [Where to stream Singles]
'Over the Edge' (1979)
While it doesn’t have anything to do with grunge or Seattle in the ’90s, Montage of Heck fans will remember the influence that Jonathan Kaplan’s 1979 coming-of-age drama had on a young Kurt Cobain. A bunch of bored, neglected teenagers in a planned community (including one played by a young Matt Dillon) act out by committing a variety of low-level crimes like vandalism and theft. When a scuffle with police results in one teenager’s death, their parents finally step up to get their kids in line — but soon they realize they are outnumbered by a band of unruly teenagers who have had enough. [Where to stream Over the Edge]
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