A complete Unknown

Coming out of James Mangold's A Complete Unknown, one wonders not so much about Bob Dylan's life, but rather about the nature of myth and how we, as an audience, demand something of great artists that they can never or will never give us. The film, as its title suggests, does not seek to explain the myth of Bob Dylan, nor to unravel the enigma of the man who rewrote the rules of American music. Instead, it focuses on a crucial chapter in his life: the years 1961 to 1965, when Bob Dylan went from being a Greenwich Village folk singer with big dreams to a cultural lightning rod whose decision to go electric nearly tore the folk music world apart. It's a period filled with artistic breakthroughs, romantic entanglements and personal betrayals, all framed by the backdrop of a country on the brink of political and cultural upheaval.

Timothee Chalamet's performance as Bob Dylan is at the heart of the film. Timothee Chalamet possesses a raw magnetism that makes it easy to understand why everyone in the film seems drawn to Bob Dylan, whether it's Joan Baez (Monica Barbaro, in a surprisingly nuanced role) or his fictional first love, Sylvie Russo (Elle Fanning). What's remarkable about Timothee Chalamet's performance is not just his ability to mimic Dylan's distinctive vocal cadence or his characteristically aloof demeanor, it's his commitment to never letting the audience in on the act. Bob Dylan is both charming and infuriating, a man who seems to know instinctively that he is destined for greatness but has no intention of letting anyone else dictate his destiny. Watching him, one is reminded of what Bob Dylan himself once said: I'm just a man who sings and dances. In other words, don't expect me to explain myself. Timothee Chalamet puts it perfectly - Bob Dylan remains, as ever, out of reach.

One of the film's most striking sequences is when young Bob Dylan, newly arrived in New York, visits Woody Guthrie (played by Scoot McNairy) in a New Jersey hospital. Guthrie, then seriously ill with Huntington's disease, lies speechless in bed, while Pete Seeger (Edward Norton, in a sober but deeply touching performance) keeps him company. Bob Dylan's nervous yet determined rendition of Song to Woody is a moment of pure cinematic magic. It's not just an audition, but a passing of the torch from one generation of folk musicians to the next. McNairy's Guthrie can't speak, but his eyes say it all - he sees something in this scruffy Minnesota kid that goes beyond talent. It's as if he knew Bob Dylan would take folk music in a direction he couldn't even have imagined.

James Mangold does an admirable job of recreating the early '60s folk scene in Greenwich Village, with its smoky cafés, impromptu jam sessions and a palpable sense of artistic possibility in the air. Yet while the film lovingly depicts the aesthetics of the era, it isn't interested in nostalgia. Instead, it focuses on the tensions simmering beneath the surface - between tradition and innovation, authenticity and artifice, and personal ambition and communal ideals. These tensions come to a head in Dylan's relationship with Seeger, who sees him as both a protégé and a threat. Norton's portrayal of Seeger is fascinating because he is not portrayed as a villain or antagonist; rather, he is a man who sincerely believes in the power of music to change the world, and who feels betrayed when Dylan begins to push the boundaries in ways he doesn't understand.

If Peter Seeger represents the old guard of folk music, Joan Baez and Sylvie Russo represent two aspects of Bob Dylan's personal life: muse and lover. Monica Barbaro is the perfect Joan Baez, both vocally and emotionally. In one scene, Joan Baez and Bob Dylan duet on It Ain't Me, Babe, brimming with unspoken tension. It's not just a song, it's a conversation - a veiled declaration of independence on Bob Dylan's part, and a moment of painful realization for Joan Baez. Their relationship, as portrayed in the film, is one of mutual admiration and inevitable heartbreak. Dylan may respect Baez's talent, but he's unwilling - or unable - to offer her the emotional connection she needs.

For her part, Sylvie, played by Elle Fanning, is the heart of the film. Although inspired by the real Suze Rotolo, Bob Dylan's first girlfriend and the woman photographed with him on the cover of The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan, Sylvie bears a fictitious name, perhaps to give her a certain degree of intimacy. Elle Fanning plays Sylvie with a mixture of warmth and steel, capturing the bittersweet reality of the love of a man who belongs more to his art than to any one person. One of the film's most poignant moments comes when Sylvie watches Bob Dylan and Joan Baez perform together, realizing that she is no longer at the center of her world. Her pain is palpable, but so is her quiet dignity: she doesn't beg him to stay, but she doesn't pretend not to suffer either.

As the film approaches its climax, the infamous 1965 Newport Folk Festival, where Bob Dylan's decision to perform with an electric band provoked a near-riot among purist folk fans, it becomes clear that A Complete Unknown is not just a Bob Dylan story; it's also a story about the price of genius. James Mangold doesn't try to portray Bob Dylan as a hero or a villain. Rather, he presents him as a deeply flawed human being, sometimes selfish, arrogant and contemptuous of those who care about him. But he is also a man driven by an almost pathological need to evolve, to free himself from the expectations placed upon him. The Newport scene is electrifying, both literally and figuratively. As Bob Dylan launches into a blistering rendition of Maggie's Farm, the camera pans from his provocative performance to the audience's stunned reactions and Seeger's anguished expression backstage. It's a moment of artistic rebellion that feels as fresh and vital today as it must have in 1965.

Despite its many strengths, A Complete Unknown is not without its faults. At times, the film seems overloaded, trying to cram too many characters and subplots into its 141-minute running time. Some secondary characters, like Boyd Holbrook's Johnny Cash, seem more like cameos than fully fleshed-out roles. And while Timothee Chalamet's performance is undeniably convincing, there are moments when his Dylan verges dangerously on caricature, particularly in the scenes where he's called upon to deliver Dylan's famous enigmatic phrases.
But these are minor drawbacks in an otherwise captivating film. Mangold, who previously directed Walk the Line, clearly has a deep affection for the music biopic genre, but he also seems acutely aware of its limitations. A Complete Unknown doesn't try to explain Bob Dylan or demystify him; rather, it invites us to sit with the mystery, to revel in the ambiguity of an artist who was always more interested in creating myths than revealing truths.

A Complete Unknown is less a portrait of Bob Dylan than a meditation on the nature of celebrity, creativity and identity. It's a film that understands that some stories don't have clear endings, and some questions don't have easy answers. After all, as Dylan himself sang, There's no success like failure, and failure is no success at all. If you're looking for a straightforward biopic that offers a clear insight into who Bob Dylan is, you won't find it here. But if you're prepared to embrace ambiguity and let the music wash over you, A Complete Unknown offers a deeply rewarding cinematic experience. It's a film that leaves you with more questions than answers, but perhaps that's exactly the point. Bob Dylan, after all, was never one to let himself be boxed in.

A Complete Unknown
Directed by James Mangold
Written by James Mangold, Jay Cocks
Based on Dylan Goes Electric! by Elijah Wald
Produced by Fred Berger, James Mangold, Alex Heineman, Bob Bookman, Peter Jaysen, Alan Gasmer, Jeff Rosen, Timothée Chalamet
Starring Timothée Chalamet, Edward Norton, Elle Fanning, Monica Barbaro, Boyd Holbrook, Dan Fogler, Norbert Leo Butz, Scoot McNairy
Cinematography : Phedon Papamichael
Edited by Andrew Buckland, Scott Morris
Production companies: TSG Entertainment, Veritas Entertainment, White Water, Range Media Partners, The Picture Company, Turnpike Films
Distributed by Searchlight Pictures (United States), The Walt Disney Company France (France)
Release dates : December 10, 2024 (Dolby Theatre), December 25, 2024 (United States), January 29, 2025 (France)
Running time : 141 minutes

Seen January 15, 2025 at the Grand Rex

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