Courtney Love got emotional when speaking about Kurt Cobain and their daughter, Frances Bean Cobain, at a discussion following a screening of Kurt Cobain: Montage of Heck at the Tribeca Film Festival.

Courtney Love And Brett Morgen Speak At Tribeca

Love appeared at the screening alongside director Brett Morgen on Sunday night, and spoke about what it was like to hand over never-before-seen home footage of Cobain and then watch the finished documentary with her now grown-up daughter. After the screening, Love and Morgen sat down with journalist Neil Strauss for a quick Q&A, and Love was immediately asked what it was like for her to watch Montage of Heck.

“This is my fourth time seeing it – I experienced some shame this time. Mostly, I get really sad, when I’ve watched it before. But, you know, guilt, and, what I could have done…” Love said.

When asked about her emotional experience seeing the film for the first time, Love began to cry, saying, “The first time…I saw it with Frances and just me and Brett. And it was beautiful because I got to spend a little more time with Kurt and Frances.”

Morgen added that one of the driving forces behind making the film as authentic and honest as possible was for Frances. “When I met her the first time, we were shaking hands, and she said something along the lines of, ‘You know, I just met you and I know you more than I know my father because I have no memories of him’…And I sensed as a father that she had a very complicated relationship with Kurt. And…In a way I felt that there was an opportunity to bridge the gap, and that’s a lot more than entertaining people, which is what I usually do,” Morgen said.

Frances, now 22, was 20 months old when Cobain, the famed Nirvana frontman, killed himself. And though Frances worked as an executive producer on the film, she has remained mostly quiet throughout its promotion, choosing instead to give a rare print interview with Rolling Stone.

Love was also very active in the making of the documentary, sitting for interviews and providing Morgen with home videos and access to recordings of Cobain. “I really like him, and I trust him. I just wanted someone to tell the truth,” Love said when asked why she gave Morgen such access to her life with Cobain.

“I didn’t want to micromanage [Morgen]. I had seen The Kids Stay in the Picture, and I just knew he was the right guy. And I liked him,” she added.

Love actually handed over keys to her extensive storage space, a space she had never been to. Morgen revealed that Love’s willingness to trust him with that much, uncensored information still astonishes him.

“What Courtney did was the most generous thing anyone’s ever given to me as a filmmaker, which was absolute trust and respect. And, you know, I think it was…completely courageous of you. And, honestly, I wouldn’t do it myself. …I don’t think people understand, it wasn’t like you had gone there before to clean it up,” Morgen explained.

Love told the crowd that Montage of Heck was “as close to the truth as anyone’s ever going to get” and insisted she would never change anything about the finished film.

Kurt Cobain: Montage of Heck will hit select theaters on Friday, April 24, and will air on HBO May 4.

Article by Olivia Truffaut-Wong

Olivia Truffaut-Wong was born and raised in Berkeley, California, where she developed her love of all things entertainment. After moving to New York City to earn her degree in Film Studies, she stayed on the East Coast to follow her passion and become an entertainment writer. She lives on a diet of television, movies and food.