Touching new Elliott Smith documentary opens Sound Unseen

A confession that might get me banned from some of the best coffee shops in town: Elliott Smith's music never did much for me. It was unquestionably heartfelt and pure, and his DIY ethic was admirable, but I often found the dour bend of the lyrics and the softly sung aesthetic too down-tempo, mundane and flat.

All of which I only say to enhance my recommendation of the new documentary on Portland's late indie-folk icon, "Heaven Adores You," screening tonight at McNally Smith College of Music in St. Paul as the opening film in the Sound Unseen festival (7 p.m., $20-$25, details here).

"It was difficult to see how difficult the fame was for him," one of Smith's associates says early in the 104-minute movie, from Portland-bred first-time director Nickolas Rossi (who will answer questions after tonight's screening).

The film opens with footage and recollections of Smith's fateful appearance at the 1998 Academy Awards, where he performed "Miss Misery" from the "Good Will Hunting" soundtrack -- ostensibly the beginning of the end. It then goes back and recounts his transformation from another noisy post-grunge alt-rocker to the acoustic bard of lore, with fun insights into Portland's then-insular music scene and all-too-appropriate rainy, scene-setting imagery. Along the way, we see and hear Smith's growing discomfort with the music industry and cultish yet sometimes fanatical fame, with some old interview footage that's sometimes painful to watch.

Rossi found the right people to comment lovingly but candidly about Smith's personality and eventual demise, leaning more on close personal friends than famous musician friends. The movie solemnly builds to details of the singer's suicide in 2003, which is absolutely heartbreaking but not over-dramatized. There's a noticeable lack of performance footage -- which seems ironic given that he would eventually play on one of TV's most watched global telecasts – but Smith's presence is nonetheless deeply felt.

Click here for full details on Sound Unseen 2014, also featuring movies on punk, jazz, ska, metal and shoegazer bands. Here's the schedule for the rest of the week: