Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #9980 in DVD
• Released on: 2008-03-31
• Rating: Suitable for 15 years and over
• Aspect ratio: 1.77:1
• Format: PAL
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 93 minutes

Synopsis
ABOUT A SON is an intimate and moving portrait of the late rock legend Kurt Cobain. Since his untimely death in 1994, there has been much speculation surrounding the troubled singer's personal life, but never any real insight from the man himself. Now, thanks to previously unreleased interviews with music journalist Michael Azerrad, Cobain's fascinating and tragic story is brought to light. Cobain speaks with disarming candour about his childhood and adolescence, his days of musical discovery, and the pressures of sudden fame that were his ultimate undoing.

Customer Reviews

What does it have to offer?
Ok guys, it's more than obvious that everyone is trying to gain money from this huge franchise called Nirvana/Cobain. And for as long as we fans keep on buying this stuff, the more movies/documentaries/books will spread out like wildfire.

What you get from this movie?

1) Cobain's interviews taken for writing the Come As You Are book. If you've read the book already, there's still some info that's not in the book and listening to Kurt talking about his life is indeed a pro. And that's most of it is about: Most part of the interview is focused on his personal life as a teenager/child trying to create a band. You won't get any significant post-Nevermind era info from this interview. This is "about a son" on a more personal way.

2) Obviously there couldn't be a movie without something "moving" on a screen. Let me be straight: 99% of the "movie" is footage shooted in the streets of Aberdden/Seattle, irrelevant shots here and there that definetely won't get your attention.

3) Parts of songs that've been playing every 20 minutes or so. Not nirvana.

That's all about it. While the interviews have been interesting, this dvd cannot be treated as a movie. It's far from it. I understand what the director was trying to do with embedding the footage with Kurt's stories, but he failed.

4/5 for the interviews
2/5 for the songs
1/5 for the footage

I guess 3 stars overall would be fair.

would be better as a cd
Don't get me wrong, this dvd is great - it is shot really well, and i am aware that in buying this dvd I wasn't getting any nirvana music, but i think that this would be better as a cd, just to listen to Cobain's voice, as it is just interviews that have been recorded (on radio).

I think that the "beautifully shot" film of Seattle takes away the imagination. I would prefer to imagine in my mind, by what Cobain describes his home town ect to be like, instead of it being spoiled by some film that, in a way, has no coherence to Cobain...

Beautiful
I marginally disagree with the primary review here that the reason 4 stars were awarded was because there was "no Nirvana music". This 'meditation' did not need any, wasn't built or made for Nirvana's music to be present. This production wasn't about that.
Here we simply have Kurt Cobain talking through personal dreams, thoughts, opinions, memories and fears about his childhood and of the world that his creativity had built to a global audience. The film has no airs nor graces but beautifully tracks, for 90 minutes, the mind of a very creative and sensitive man who battled with both depression and drug addiction. We all have fears and dreams and we all 'feel' and that is what this DVD is about. The films imagery relates to scenes form the North West USA where Kurt grew up and became successful, from the cold grey logging towns to the neon climbs of Seattle. I love the way the gentle strings of guitar over ocean or forest is punctuated with blasts from some of Kurt's favourite artists; from Bowie to Bad Brains. There is nothing out of place here, it is a journey that carries the viewer in and out of a very turbulent and beautiful mind. Sit back, pour your favourite drink and enjoy the trip....