The account of a music star hit with a debilitating drug addiction while facing turmoil in their band isn’t anything new, inspiring scores of documentaries and bio-pics. What’s fresh here is the subject, with director P. David Ebersole investigating the life and times of Patty Schemel, the openly lesbian drummer for the band Hole, who spent a good chunk of her career sitting behind Courtney Love, absorbing her never-ending drama on a nightly basis. “Hit So Hard” is familiar in its examination of personal ruin and fortysomething redemption, but the alternative music era on display here brings a unique perspective to Schemel’s story. It also helps to have such a charismatic subject, who’s open and honest about her mistakes, hopes, and fears as she recalls her experiences as a female drummer, her wasted years, and her time as a cog in the Courtney Love machine. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

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