Bringing Bob Dylan’s life to the screen is no easy feat. His mystique, artistic defiance and reluctance to embrace fame make him a subject that resists conventional storytelling. Director James Mangold, known for Ford v Ferrari and Walk the Line, approaches Dylan’s story with restraint and respect, avoiding the usual dramatic beats of rise, fall, and redemption. A Complete Unknown flows like a series of intimate moments, capturing Dylan’s transformation from an aspiring folk singer to a cultural icon. The film doesn’t attempt to explain Dylan but rather lets the audience experience his world through quiet observations and interactions.
Timothée Chalamet
Chalamet makes a fully convincing Bob Dylan. He shares the quietude of Dylan’s subconscious without stealing his soul. He owns Dylan’s character, but not his spirit. This is a conscious decision to barge only as far into Dylan’s innerworld as decorous, to interiorize the performance without trespassing.
Chalamet delivers a beautifully balanced performance, tender yet unassuming, sharp yet modest. The screenplay, written by Mangold and the incredible Jay Cocks, gently supports Chalamet’s Dylanesque explorations, like a delicate jewel that may break under intense scrutiny. It favors understatement even during the darker phases of Dylan’s life, when the icon struggles to bear the weight of fame.
A Film That Respects Its Subject
A Complete Unknown lets Bob Dylan find his spatial harmony without conspicuous intervention. As a result, we are watching a film about Dylan that doesn’t behave like a traditional film. The episodes are deeply illustrative and respectful of the artist’s aloof stature, yet paradoxically, they bring us closer to him.
The self-absorption of the iconic musician is not targeted for criticism. Dylan is who he is. He refused to attend his Nobel Prize ceremony not out of vanity, but simply due to his unbiased perception of fame the bigger it gets, the more futile it seems.
A Complete Unknown portrays Dylan as somewhat of a spoilsport when it comes to acknowledging his peers and well-wishers. The only time he is seen openly appreciating a fellow musician is at the start when he meets the dying Woody Guthrie (an incandescent cameo by Scoot McNairy). Otherwise, Dylan’s edgy associations—with his girlfriend Sylvie (Elle Fanning), fellow folk singer and musical genius Joan Baez (Monica Barbaro, who deserves her own Baez biopic), and his mentor Pete Seeger (Edward Norton, so good we barely notice he’s acting)—all reflect the self-absorption of a true artist.
Final Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4/5)
