A Complete Unknown hits theaters on December 25th. Timothée Chalamet takes on the role of a young Bob Dylan during Bob’s rise to fame in the world of Folk music. Fans of Bob Dylan know much of this story already, yet there are still plenty of iconic moments from the early days of Dylan’s journey to fill in the gaps. Those who only know Bob from a few hits and his unmistakable vocal style will find this film captivating and informative.
Synopsis: Against the backdrop of a vibrant music scene and tumultuous cultural upheaval, an enigmatic 19-year-old from Minnesota arrives with his guitar and revolutionary talent, destined to change the course of American music. He forges intimate relationships with music icons of Greenwich Village on his meteoric rise, culminating in a groundbreaking and controversial performance that reverberates worldwide.
The film is directed and written by James Mangold who led an Oscar winning cast in the 2005 film WALK THE LINE. James returns to the music biopic world now with what should be another Oscar worthy hit. The early days of Johnny Cash – which Walk the Line was about – is a bit more chaotic and dramatic compared to Dylans more subdued and laid pack persona. But what Bob Dylan did to shake up the world of Falk music – and gain a few enemies in the process – is still just as powerful and entertaining to watch.
For the past year we have seen promotional stills and clips of Chalamet morphing into Dylan. If you look at old album covers and actual photo’s of Bob you instantly make the connection. The early days of the folk scene were earthy and the people real and blemished. It was a far cry from the Insta worthy, photo shopped faces of the pop stars today. Timothy might seem a bit soft and pretty to have emerged from the Greenwich Village scene. Casting him for the early years of Dylan does work though and luckily the film ends before Bob ages too much.
If you follow or have studied the folk genre of the early 60’s there are names that immediately come to mind. Several of those make an appearance here, including the fore mentioned Johnny Cash (Boyd Holbrook), who was close to Dylan at that time as a friend and confidant. A strong proponent of the folk movement and writer of many of the songs we still sing today was Pete Seeger (Edward Norton). Pete was vital in encouraging Bob even when their musical paths seemed to veer to different roads. Norton is good in this one even if he is still very recognizable as Ed Norton. In both look and delivery. The relationship between Pete and Bob is one of my favorite arcs of the film.
Bob Dylan also had an on again off again relationship with Sylvie Russo (Elle Fanning) in his early days. Though this adds to the romantic element and gives us a look into Dylan’s personality and work focus, it is not as strong as the other film pieces. Fanning is one of the best actresses working today but eve she seems lost and in the role. As if finding the connection was tricky. One relationship that does work wonderfully in the film from both intrigue and performance is that of Dylan and Joan Baez (Monica Barbaro). Getting to see and hear a bit of Baez’s music in the early years is a definite plus. Barbaro is award worthy for sure.
Let’s face it. One reason that WALK THE LINE was so powerful was the music on Johnny Cash. The same had to be a driving force in this one. We get a good dose of Folk music from everyone in that Village troupe with Dylan obviously at the forefront. Much of his hits from those early records are performed perfectly here. There was something special in the songs of that era. Where our country was in terms of war and social tension was displayed so well in the song writing of the day. The lyrics were more poetry and when combined with the simplicity of an acoustic guitar and vocal line was indeed special. And no one did it better than Bob Dylan. Chalamet captures that nicely and Mangold directs the performances in a way that seem a tribute as much as a retelling.
The film culminates with the infamous Newport Folk Festival. If you know you know. If not you will be front row for the a moment in time that just may have changed the face of music for many. It is interesting to revisit these moments that shaped much of our country and pop culture. Dylan was a man of few words when it comes to dialogue saving all that was in his head for his powerful song lyrics. Maybe this does not make for a dominant film character, but the music certainly does.
A COMPLETE UNKNOWN is rated R for language and hits theaters December 25th.
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