It’s 1961. A teenage Bob Dylan performs a song for folk stars Woody Guthrie and Pete Seeger. They are smitten. He’s soon the toast of the New York folk scene, collecting mentors, lovers and fans. The screenplay, penned by James Mangold, Jay Cocks and Elijah Wald, lacks conflict. Dylan achieves everything he wants until he doesn’t want it. We’re given little context for his successes and failures. Audiences are expected to bring enough knowledge of his life to fill in the gaps. A Complete Unknown is not a good introduction to Dylan. It is, however, a fine showcase for star Timothée Chalamet.
The camera loves Chalamet’s face. Mangold keeps him in close up as he listens intently to the words and music of the supporting players. We watch for the flicker of his eyes and the twitch of his mouth. His friends find him inscrutable. Unknown, as it were. Does he feel respect? Contempt? Indifference? Chalamet gives us clues, while suggesting that Dylan is unsure himself. It’s tempting to psychoanalyze or diagnose Dylan. Those who stick with him accept that he’ll only expose his soul when he’s on stage. It’s here where Chalamet’s training pays off. He plays guitar, blows the harmonica and provides the vocals in a winning performance. We see why people adore him, despite his selfish nature.
The supporting cast brings depth to underwritten roles. Monica Barbaro’s confident Joan Baez, Elle Fanning’s earnest Sylvie Russo and Edward Norton’s paternal Pete Seeger have their hearts broken by Dylan. But the performers let us know they have goals and lives outside of his orbit. Scoot McNairy’s ailing Guthrie and Boyd Holbrook’s flirty Johnny Cash get standout moments as well.
The 1967 documentary Don’t Look Back shows Dylan at two extremes. The bashful artist and the defiant rebel. As his tour of the UK continues he grows increasingly hostile to everyone around him. Fans and journalists are baffled by his tirades. Cate Blanchett explored this aspect of him in Todd Haynes’ surreal I’m Not There. Chalamet is more vulnerable, and likable, than the enfant terrible on display. He saves his temper for the overwrought third act. A re-enactment of the Newport Folk Festival veers into the camp territory of Walk Hard or Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis. It’s a risky sequence that will sink the film for some. I was grateful to see a sleepy biopic briefly wake up.
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