Rating: 2.5/5

Writers: P. David Ebersole, Todd Hughes
Director: P. David Ebersole

For fans of the band Hole, HIT SO HARD is nothing short of required watching. Tracing the ups and downs of drummer Patty Schemel, P. David Ebersole’s documentary cobbles together informative interviews over a number of years with incredibly intimate home movie footage to craft a portrait of a woman, and a band, constantly on the edge of collapse.

Schemel, an out and proud lesbian, faced a number of personal and professional demons during her tenure with Hole – from issues with her sexuality, to lifelong problems with alcohol and drugs, to the rigors of being a part of touring band, even the heartbreak intrinsic in knowing (and loving) Kurt Cobain and Kristen Pfaff. But though Schemel’s life story is compelling, the focus of HIT SO HARD gets lost along the way in the tangle of other (stronger) stories. Continue reading →