Overview
The documentary begins as an investigation of the circumstances surrounding Cobain's death and the theories which sprung up afterwards. Cobain was legally declared to have committed suicide but has been alleged by some who worked on the case, to have been murdered, in some allegations at Courtney Love's instigation.
As Broomfield investigates the claims surrounding Cobain's death, his emphasis moves from the murder theories and onto an investigation of Love herself, including an accusation that she supports the suppression of free speech, and her fame after Cobain's death.
The film was due to play the Sundance Film Festival but Love threatened to sue the festival's organizers if they screened the film. Broomfield removed all of Nirvana's music and replaced it with music from bands mainly from the Seattle area. However when shown on the BBC, the film contained Nirvana's 1991 performance of "Smells Like Teen Spirit" from Top of the Pops.
While the initial focus of the film was to explore the possible murder of Cobain, Courtney Love's refusal to license any of Cobain's music and her unwillingness to speak on camera was used by Broomfield as evidence of her censorship of free speech.
Read more about this topic: Kurt & Courtney