Character Relationship Map: Hit So Hard

Characters

• Self (played by Patty Schemel) — protagonist

  Melissa Auf der Maur is interviewed as one of Schemel’s Hole bandmates. After bassist Kristen Pfaff’s death, she joins the band as Pfaff’s replacement and tours with Hole alongside Schemel and Courtne...

• Self (played by Courtney Love) — supporting
• Self (played by Eric Erlandson) — supporting
• Self (archive footage) (played by Kurt Cobain) — supporting

  Kristen Pfaff is Hole’s bassist, whose death in 1994 is recounted in the film. Her death occurs two months after Kurt Cobain’s and precedes the band’s world tour, during which Melissa Auf der Maur tak...

• Self (played by Melissa Auf der Maur) — supporting
• Self (archive footage) (played by Frances Bean Cobain) — supporting
• Self (played by Debbi Peterson) — supporting
• Self (played by Gina Schock) — supporting
• Self (played by Kate Schellenbach) — supporting
• Self (archive footage) (played by Kristen Pfaff) — supporting
• Self (played by Larry Schemel) — supporting
• Self (played by Chris Whitemyer) — minor
• Self (played by Alice de Buhr) — minor
• Self (played by Phranc) — minor
• Self (played by Joe Mama-Nitzberg) — minor
• Self (archive footage) (played by Evan Dando) — minor
• Self (played by Dallas Taylor) — minor
• Self (played by Nina Gordon) — minor
• Self (played by Roddy Bottum) — minor
• Self (played by Sarah Vowell) — minor

Story Analysis

A documentary tracing Patty Schemel's rise with Hole, her struggles with addiction, and her eventual recovery and redemption.

Plot Progression

1. Seattle Roots & Band Formation — Schemel's early life in Marysville and immersion in the Seattle music scene lead to her audition for Hole in Los Angeles. The documentary highlights her coming out and initial integration into the ban...
2. Touring, Tragedy & Addiction — Hole's rise is shadowed by the deaths of Cobain and Pfaff, leading to a grueling world tour where Schemel and Love turn to heroin. The strain fractures personal relationships and pushes the band towar...
3. Studio Rift & Exile — Recording Celebrity Skin triggers a producer-led replacement, causing a rift that forces Schemel out and into street addiction. Years on the streets isolate her from her former bandmates.
4. Recovery & Redemption — Schemel overcomes crack-cocaine addiction, reconciles with the band, and builds a new life with her wife. She returns to music through teaching and finds peace in her post-Hole career.