These are photos of Francis Bean Cobain at the LA screening of Montage of Heck, the Kurt Cobain documentary. Frances has been a trooper during this film’s promotion, and this screening is no exception. Yeah, she looks bummed to be standing next to Courtney Love. I think most of us would feel the same way if our mom’s hoarding habit killed their childhood pet. Plus Courtney seemed so blase about doing heroin during pregnancy. Add those frustrations to the legions of fans (and former Nirvana bandmates) who constantly gush about Kurt, and this whole experience can’t be easy for Frances.
Oh, and Courtney spoke out at the Tribeca screening this weekend. Crazy C told the world that she and Kurt made their own adult film: “Me and Kurt only had this one tape … and so we recorded over and over.” I’m sure Frances enjoyed hearing about that parental grossness. She recovered enough to make a speech at the LA screening:
“Hi my name is Frances Bean Cobain and this is Montage of Heck,” she said. “The reason I wanted to come up here and speak to all of you is because I have seen this movie now six times. Initially upon seeing it, I felt like I could only watch it once. The reason I’ve been able to watch it six times is because of the film Brett [Morgen] made … I didn’t know Kurt, but I feel very strongly that he would be exceptionally proud of this film.
“It touches on some dark subjects but at the end of the day, I think that this film provides fans of Nirvana, or not fans of Nirvana, a basic understanding of who Kurt was as a human being. I think that’s been lost within romanticism and the myth of him and his story. What this movie will provide hopefully is a real understanding of who he was. And I feel like he’d be really proud to have this movie made about him. So I’d like to thank Brett a lot.”
[From People]
Director Brett Morgan says Frances has no true memory of her father, and this movie has helped her get to know him a little. Frances was barely a toddler when Kurt took his life. That experience and knowledge would be painful enough without constant reminders of how cool your dad was. I often wonder what Kurt would be like if he were alive today. I’m sure he wouldn’t have been a legend after he inevitably put out a few sub-par albums. Maybe he’d simply be a producer now, or a recluse, more likely.
Frances is a trust-fund kid, but she’s as grounded and wise as possible under the circumstances. Remember when she schooled Lana Del Rey about romanticizing the death of musicians? Frances knows the drill. The passage of time has turned Kurt into a legend far beyond what he was in real life.
Montage of Heck hits HBO on May 4. Here’s a trailer.
Photos courtesy of WENN
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