Kurt Cobain has become something of a commodity again, not that he really ever failed to be one. There was a lot of buzz over his name in early 2015, when Brett Morgen released the Montage of Heck documentary, unleashing the truly erratic, drug-laden latter days of Nirvana's lead singer. Something like a whole generation of grunge-rockers was astir, glimpsing their deity incarnate, in his natural habitat. But with the release of Soaked in Bleach, a docudrama from director Benjamin Statler (co-written by Statler, Richard Middleton and Donnie Eichar) it is not so much verisimilitude that is up for grabs, as is the case with Montage, instead it is the unleashing of a pretty well-crafted, cataloged conspiracy. Soaked in Bleach relays, and relives, Kurt Cobain's final days through the lens of personal investigator Tom Grant, who was hired by Courtney Love just days before Kurt's alleged suicide, to find her husband. Grant himself provides much of the narration, while Statler also cuts to an eerie, grayed dramatization performed by Daniel Roebuck (Grant) and Sarah Scott (Love), among others. Truth be told (and that's something Grant asserts the Seattle P.D. may've ignored with the Cobain case), Soaked in Bleach is an intriguing, lively and inescapable film that will keep you glued to the screen, even as the Aberdeen destitution or the damp, gray Washington nights are evoked.

This docudrama filled with high-stakes dialogue and revelatory audio recordings from Grant, begins just nights before Cobain is found dead in the greenhouse portion of his Washington home. Grant and Cobain's friend, Dylan Carlson (performed by August Emerson), enter the house looking for the shotgun that Carlson lent Cobain for "security." What ensues next, is Statler cutting back to Love calling Grant, and the investigator somewhat reluctantly taking on the case. Then, viewers are introduced to all the grainy little holes that appear to be present in Love's account. Grant asserts that Love may have been tempering Carlson, a heroin addict, which in effect steers Grant away from the greenhouse. There are also plenty of documented phone calls that Love makes to "Cali," a live-in nanny at the Cobain household, and to Carlson, which seem to throw things out of whack, ever so slightly. Further, an assertion is made that the dosage of heroin that Cobain injected should have prevented him from being conscious, and thus unable to shoot himself. On top of it all, the shotgun shell is found on the opposite side of where it should have fallen, based on rigor mortis and the positioning of the upturned weapon. Another Gordian knot: the Seattle Police Department immediately rules the case a suicide, has questionable testimony about the positioning of a stool at the scene, and because of a misleading missing persons report (filed by Love under Cobain's mother's name), the police are quick to rule out the idea of homicide; and they approve the cremation of Cobain's body within the week. Among other figures who seem to corroborate all, or parts of, Grant's assertions, are: former Seattle Police Chief Norm Stamper, investigative journalist Max Wallace, forensic pathologist Cyril H. Wecht, and retired Lieutenant-Commander of the NYPD, Vernon J. Geberth. Initially, Grant is even helped along by the Cobain attorney, Rosemary Carroll (played by Julie Lancaster), who later rescinded the information she provided Grant.

At the end of the day, it comes down to what you believe, after seeing the evidence laid out before you. The filmmakers appear at least moderately objective, though Love provides no commentary (aside from her voice recordings from April of 1994). As mentioned, the production values of the film are captivating, in a slick, noir type of way. Grant, a forceful onscreen character/figure, mentions the weight that the Cobain case placed on his shoulders these past 21 years. That said, Soaked in Bleach runs the gamut in terms of emotional back-and-forth: there's insecurity, depth, vulnerability and an overall aura of grief, which has since been glued to fans of Nirvana who lost their fearless leader too young. As Norm Stamper says, based on evidence today, the case should be reopened. After watching this film, you'll know why.