For All Its Good Intentions, 'Soaked in Bleach' is a Worn Out Conspiracy Theory
Soaked in Bleach centres on private investigator Tom Grant, hired by Courtney Love to find Nirvana lead singer Kurt Cobain after he left a substance abuse treatment centre in Los Angeles on March 30, 1994.
highly controversial claim
During the period between the musician’s disappearance and the April 8 discovery of his body, Grant recorded many of the conversations he had with Love. Those recordings, paired with re-enactments, make up much of the film, though documentary footage builds the basis of the film around interviews with people close to the matter.
The film revives the highly controversial claim that Cobain’s death was a homicide and that Love might have had a connection to it. It covers similar ground to Nick Broomfield’s 1999 documentary Kurt & Courtney. However, during the movie it is revealed that Seattle police re-examined evidence in 2014 and said the death still was ruled a suicide.
Earlier this year we had Brett Morgen’s fully authorised documentary, Cobain: Montage of Heck, which examined Cobain’s life and personal troubles rather than his death. In a way that movie and Soaked in Bleach could work very well together as two contrasting looks on the life of the American music icon.
worn out conspiracy theory
Where Montage of Heck works, Soaked in Bleach falls down. It tries too hard in pushing this perceived notion that Cobain’s widow played a prominent part in her husbands untimely death. It goes without saying Love’s actions and words are strikingly unusual, but they aren’t exactly backed-up by convincing re-enactments — which are weak and particularly off putting to watch. It’s only when the actual audio recordings play over this footage that you sit up and take notice.
Throughout the documentary, director Benjamin Statler sits down with police chiefs and forensic experts who give their opinions — generally backing up Grant’s claims that there was foul play in Cobain’s death. Grant is the driving force behind this movie. He drives home his claims, making it hard to see past anything he tells. You’re almost pushed into a corner and forced to listen to his beliefs, rather than looking at both sides of the story.
For all its good intentions and attempts to break new light onto a tired topic of intrigue, Soaked in Bleach comes across like a worn out conspiracy theory. Having said that, Grant seems like an honourable person who would gain completely nothing by lying about such things. For whats its worth, Grant may well be telling the truth and every shred of evidence he holds certainly backs up his claims. However, his evidence isn’t given the correct representation and a more cohesive and stronger examination would do it justice.
