A Complete Unknown (2024) Review!!

Synopsis – At the Newport Folk Festival in 1965, a young Bob Dylan shakes up his act on the folk music scene by going electric and siring rock as the voice of a generation – defining one of the most transformative moments in 20th century music.

My Take – With the ongoing barrage of music biopics hitting the screens every few weeks, it seemed inevitable that Bob Dylan’s story would soon follow suit. After all, he is considered one of the greatest songwriters of all time and has been a major figure in popular culture over his 60-year career. With a reclusiveness that is often hidden behind dark sunglasses, the American writer and musician’s lifetime record sales has been approaching over 150 million albums, making him one of the best-selling musicians of all-time.

Though, the legacy of Bob Dylan has been retold countless times over the years, from Martin Scorsese‘s documentary No Direction Home (2005) to Todd Haynes’ experimental I’m Not There (2006), which saw six different actors, including Cate Blanchett and the late Heath Ledger, portray numerous moments of Dylan’s life and career, what makes this one stand apart is how it perfectly captures his restless change with time, from Pete Seeger‘s traditional folk to his own brand of folk rock.

Based on the 2015 book ‘Dylan Goes Electric!‘ by Elijah Wald, here, director James Mangold, who also previously helmed the much acclaimed Johnny Cash biopic Walk the Line (2005), has made a remarkable interpretation that is strikingly well-made and suitably engrossing even for non-traditional musical listener like myself.

Sure, anyone looking for a revelatory portrait of the iconic artist may be disappointed due to the narrative’s focus only on a certain period of time, but despite its approach it ends up being a generally strong film, in large thanks to an outstanding, organic and effortless lead performance from Timothée Chalamet.

Who perfectly captures the essence of the legend, from his quirks, his folk credentials, to his unlikability and his personality. Particularly doing a great job in nailing his singing voice in the live musical sequences, both visually and sound wise, adding a raw, intimate energy that as a viewer drew me in even further.

Set between the periods 1961-1965, the story follows a young Bob (Timothée Chalamet) who moves to NYC from Minnesota seeking to meet his recently hospitalized folk musician idol Woody Guthrie (Scoot McNairy). Once he reaches there Bob ends up performing for both Guthrie and his close friend, Pete Seeger (Edward Norton), a popular folk musician himself, impressing both.

Becoming his mentor, Seeger invites Bob to stay with his family, and begins to introduce him into New York City’s folk scene. Where he encounters Joan Baez (Monica Barbaro), starts to make music under the management of Albert Grossman (Dan Fogler) and also begins a relationship with Sylvie Russo (Elle Fanning), an artist/activist whose beliefs motivate him to perform at the 1963 March on Washington and to pen “A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall” during the Cuban Missile Crisis.

But as his popularity grows to phenomenal levels, Dylan and his band begin performing with electric, not acoustic, instruments, something which is not looked at kindly by the organizers of the Newport Folk Festival in 1965, a controversial event many heralded as the bridge between traditional folk and rock music. Along the way, we see how he deals with his sudden fame, a development as unwanted as it was unexpected.

Here, writer-director James Mangold and co-write Jay Cocks portray Dylan as a musical genius who refuses to be boxed into expectations. Throughout his career, Dylan continually reinvented himself, transitioning controversially from folk to rock (and even later to gospel). His ever-evolving music style have both delighted and bewildered fans, showcasing his refusal to be confined to a single genre.

Yet, despite his fame, Dylan has remained an elusive, enigmatic figure; a man whom the world can admire but never really understand. Thankfully, the film never goes into hero worship. The artist’s moodiness, impatience, and ego are laid bare. As is the now-famous manipulation he maintained between his romantic relationships.

But what makes the film works is its fascinating mix of fact, outright fabrication, fantasy and supposition. It’s a chaotic mixture endorsed by Bob Dylan, who has had his own on-again/off-again relationship with the truth. The film is stronger because of the liberties it takes and mashes together characters and events, even when it jumbles events with no regard for chronological order. It’s all in keeping with Dylan‘s penchant for self-mythologizing.

Yet, what truly distinguishes the biopic is the acting, particularly considering how all the performers do their own singing. Timothée Chalamet not only embodies the icon, but effortlessly sings and plays his songs on screen as well, something apparently he spent five years training for. He also shines in moments of quiet contemplation, obsessively scrawling notepad lyrics, finding chord progressions, and mumbling lyrics.

Edward Norton is excellent throughout and plays Seeger with such ease that it’s hard not to be heartbroken watching as Dylan’s fame both helps and hurts the one-time mentor. Elle Fanning is lovely and has the perfect chemistry with Chalamet. Boyd Holbrook’s Johnny Cash having pretty minimal screen time, but sells his presence with immense impact.

Last but not least, Monica Barbaro is a revelation as Joan Baez. With no formal training as a singer or musician and only a year’s preparation, Barbaro shows off her strong, clear soprano while portraying a singer whose voice has been described as incomparable. In supporting roles, Dan Fogler, Norbert Leo Butz, Eriko Hatsune, Big Bill Morganfield, Will Harrison, and Scoot McNairy are solid. On the whole, ‘A Complete Unknown‘ is a clear-eyed music biopic that deserves all the praise it has been receiving, particularly for its performances.