A Complete Unknown (2024) – Film Review

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a complete unknown film review (3)

Director: James Mangold
Cast: Timothée Chalamet, Edward Norton, Elle Fanning
Certificate: 15

By David Reid

This is the latest Hollywood attempt to explore the man and the legend who is Bob Dylan. Previously, we’ve had Martin Scorsese’s Grammy-winning documentary No Direction Home: Bob Dylan and Todd Haynes’s 2007 film I’m Not There, in which six different actors play the singer. This time around, it is Timothée Chalamet, fresh from well-received lead performances in Dune and Wonka, who steps up to the microphone.

We initially find the 20-year-old Bob Dylan arriving in New York in 1961 and making his way to Greenwich Village, an artistic haven for the Beatnik generation, in establishments such as the Gaslight and Café Wha? The last of these remains a live venue, even if the neighbourhood has evolved into polished real estate over the ensuing decades. It is Dylan’s love of folk music, particularly that of Woody Guthrie, which has brought him to this place. He visits Guthrie (Scoot McNairy), by this time in failing health and an inpatient in a nearby psychiatric hospital. Dylan also meets another folk music great and Guthrie’s friend, Pete Seeger (Edward Norton). These men aren’t simply singers; they are social activists who fell under suspicion during the McCarthy era, as shown in an early scene where Pete Seeger defends his beliefs in court. Dylan is consciously leaving his Minnesota home behind, seeking to find—or perhaps reinvent—himself.

Dylan forms a relationship with Sylvie Russo (Elle Fanning), a character said to represent Suze Rotolo. The couple were later photographed arm-in-arm on a Greenwich Village street for the iconic cover of The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan album. Seeger champions Dylan and his music, assisting him in securing key venues, a record deal, and a tour with Joan Baez (Monica Barbaro), a younger star protest singer on the folk circuit, who was, in career terms, a couple of years ahead of Dylan.

“A lot of ground”

Those with detailed knowledge of the period have pointed out inconsistencies in places, people, and timelines. The writer/director, James Mangold, who has a strong pedigree in musical biopics—including his Oscar-winning 2005 portrayal of Johnny Cash and June Carter in Walk the Line—appears to have amalgamated events for creative purposes, which some may find irksome or confusing. For instance, Bob Dylan is shown jamming on a Pete Seeger show recording with blues singer and guitarist Jesse Moffette (Big Bill Morganfield). There is no known musician by that name; perhaps, in Mangold’s vision, the character represents the influence of blues greats such as Robert Johnson and Muddy Waters on Dylan. For this reviewer, more could also have been made of Dylan’s participation in the Civil Rights Movement’s 1963 March on Washington (briefly glimpsed on TV), and the influence of Celtic crooners The Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem (possibly referenced through a few live notes of ‘The Wild Rover’). There’s no doubt a lot of ground needed covering between 1961 and 1966, across a runtime of two hours and 21 minutes.

As with any actor tasked with imitating the man himself, the main question remains: how does it feel? Actually, it looks and feels great. Chalamet sings and plays approximately 30 songs with aplomb, which is quite a feat in itself. Along the way, we see how his six-minute masterpiece ‘Like a Rolling Stone’, which changed music history, came to sound as it does. Chalamet’s Dylan is taciturn and intense, seemingly difficult to connect with outside of a stage or recording studio. When he isn’t singing, he’s writing music day and night. This man is in a hurry, and his output was—and remains—phenomenal. To date, he has released 55 albums and, now in his eighties, averages more than 100 performances a year on what fans call The Never Ending Tour.

“Succinct cleverness”

Over the film’s course, a love triangle develops between Dylan, Russo, and Baez. Not only are their lives evolving, but the nation is also in turmoil, with civil rights struggles, intergenerational conflict, the Cuban Missile Crisis, and the assassination of the President. As the Minnesotan bard sang, ‘The Times They Are A-Changin’’. In this portrayal, Dylan is a diffident figure—shy at times and outspoken at others. This is a powerful performance by Chalamet, which will provide many with a greater understanding of the man and his music. He comes across as a contemporary Shakespearean fool, holding a mirror to the world’s postmodern follies.

Chalamet’s magnificent central performance is strengthened—and balanced—by the supporting cast, most notably Monica Barbaro (previously Phoenix in Top Gun: Maverick), whose Joan Baez is glorious in both spoken word and song. Their rendition of ‘It Ain’t Me Babe’ is spine-tingling. The script, co-written by Mangold and Jay Cocks, crackles with humour and succinct cleverness, matching Dylan’s lyrical genius.

The movie builds up to the 1965 Newport Folk Festival, influenced by Johnny Cash (Boyd Holbrook), where Dylan shakes folk music to its core by using an electric guitar. Chalamet’s portrayal of Dylan’s electrifying performance of Maggie’s Farm is captured on celluloid with aplomb. The impact of that performance on folk music was seismic, and this richly enjoyable film packs a powerful punch.

Performances9
Direction7
Screenplay8
Cinematography8
Score9.5
Rewatchability9
A Complete Unknown is in cinemas now
8.4
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