In this unobtrusive account of the final days of a strung-out rock star, based on the suicide of Nirvana’s Kurt Cobain, the camera passively watches as the central figure (Michael Pitt) trudges across the grounds of a rural mansion. Even the most mundane of scenes are given an ethereal sheen by director Gus Van Sant. His camera seems to serve as a metal detector for the inherent beauty of any given moment, so that this ultimately feels as if you’re witnessing someone’s final moments through the eyes of a waiting angel.
