MOVIE REVIEW – In 1961, a young man rides his motorcycle up to the hospital where Woody Guthrie is being cared for. He introduces himself as Bob Dylan (Timothée Chalamet) and plays a song on his guitar for the ailing folk icon. From there, we witness the nascent years of Dylan’s career as he navigates the expectations of the music industry, forges connections with other influential figures like Joan Baez (Monica Barbaro) and Pete Seeger (Edward Norton), and ultimately evolves into one of the 20th century’s most important musical artists.

Writer-director James Mangold’s A Complete Unkown is a film that lives in the details, vividly recreating the vibrant atmosphere of early ’60s Greenwich Village. It’s not just the period and the settings that feel authentic; it’s the entire musical community that Dylan immerses himself in. The film seamlessly incorporates the concert venues of the time, some of which might seem unconventional by today’s standards, as well as the industry events that Bob reluctantly finds himself dragged to. All of this serves as essential groundwork for the film’s climax at the controversial Newport Folk Festival, where Dylan defied the organizers and took the stage with an electric guitar, forever altering the course of music history.

Behind the Curtain: The Artist and the Man

This meticulously crafted portrait focuses not only on Dylan’s rise to prominence in the early 1960s but also on how he consistently shielded himself from the public eye. From the film’s opening, we see him actively constructing his own image, and by the end, it’s clear to the viewer that his actions foreshadow his future. This future is paved with revolution, as we witness Dylan’s emergence as both a performer and a songwriter, discovering his unique voice while constantly battling attempts to confine him to certain labels.

Timothée Chalamet fully deserves the accolades he’s sure to receive for his dedicated portrayal. He not only learned to play the guitar and harmonica but also flawlessly captured Dylan’s distinct vocal inflections, whether singing or speaking. What’s truly remarkable about his performance is that it never feels like mere imitation. Dylan’s intonations come across as completely natural, with Chalamet effortlessly embodying the quiet arrogance that sometimes defined Bob’s public persona.

Monica Barbaro also delivers a standout performance, perfectly capturing the passion and powerful presence of Joan Baez, particularly in those moments when Bob incurs her wrath, and she doesn’t hesitate to make her displeasure known. To deliver a good musical performance is a challenge in itself, but to sing a song flawlessly and professionally while simultaneously conveying to the camera just how furious you are with the man singing next to you – that’s a whole different level of artistry.

On Stage and Beyond: The Power of Music

This is the kind of magic that can only be achieved through the live performance of a truly gifted artist. One of the film’s greatest strengths lies in these concert sequences, as the actors genuinely perform live, lending an authenticity and immediacy to the experience. Edward Norton is particularly captivating as Pete Seeger, and there’s something irresistibly charming about the way he leads the crowd in a rendition of “The Lion Sleeps Tonight (Wimoweh).” Whether strumming a classic folk tune or delving into the world of rock and roll, Chalamet’s stage presence is electrifying. (Yes, the pun was very much intended.)

A Complete Unkown‘s biggest weakness can be perfectly encapsulated in the character of Sylvie Russo, who is based on Suze Rotolo – the woman who famously graced the cover of The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan album, but who was also an artist, activist, and writer in her own right.

As the fictional Sylvie, Elle Fanning is fully committed to the role, but her scenes tend to veer the film back into the well-worn tropes of the musical biopic genre, clichés that the film otherwise largely manages to avoid. It’s certainly fair to explore the idea that a musical artist might have complicated relationships with women, but despite acknowledging the fascinating and independent life that Sylvie leads, Fanning’s character often gets reduced to the “nagging girlfriend” stereotype, the woman who just doesn’t understand Bob.

This is particularly evident when Bob invites Sylvie to accompany him to the ’65 Newport Folk Festival, further amplifying the chaos of the events that transpire there. The film portrays this as the final nail in the coffin of their relationship, despite having already depicted an earlier breakup. It all feels rather unnecessary, as Sylvie’s presence in these scenes serves no real purpose other than to remind the audience of just how toxic their relationship was. It feels especially gratuitous considering the fact that there’s no concrete evidence to suggest that the real Suze Rotolo was even present at Newport.

The Enigmatic Artist

The film’s title couldn’t be a more fitting encapsulation of not only Dylan as an enigmatic figure but also the inherent challenges of the musical biopic genre. The complicated relationship with a Woman Who Just Doesn’t Understand is not the only cliché that makes its way into A Complete Unkown. (There’s even a literal A Hard Day’s Night-esque scene where Dylan and his entourage are chased by a throng of screaming fans.)

These clichés don’t necessarily undermine the performances, but they do prevent the film from feeling as fresh as it could have been. However, such tropes are difficult to avoid, as the very nature of telling stories about our greatest artists often means encountering familiar themes. A Complete Unkown manages to sidestep the worst of these clichés by focusing on a specific period in Dylan’s life, and more importantly, by acknowledging that with a figure like this, we’re never truly meant to fully comprehend the man behind the myth. Because ultimately, it doesn’t matter if we understand Bob Dylan or not. What matters is that we appreciate the art he created.

-Gergely Herpai “BadSector”-