A Complete Unknown: Bob Dylan biopic gets the mercurial genius
A Complete Unknown | ★★★★☆
One of Hollywood’s favourite sons takes on the lofty role of an American icon in A Complete Unknown. Timothee Chalamet plays Bob Dylan in the period that made him a megastar. Starting in 1961 where he was an anonymous folk singer looking to make his name in New York’s Greenwich Village, all the way to 1965’s Newport Folk Festival, where he scandalised his following by using electric instruments. The film also explores his relationship with girlfriend Sylvie (Elle Fanning), and his struggles with being the voice of a generation.
Director James Mangold doesn’t break down Dylan for the audience, understanding that he means too much to history to be simplified. Instead, he presents him through the eyes of those who adore him. The lovers, contemporaries, and fans all fight to get a glimpse inside this apocryphal figure. The world sees their hopes and dreams reflected in him, but the man beneath the myth seems out of reach. Whereas other biopics find conflict in childhood trauma or addiction, here the artist fights against being known. Chalamet sneers on stage at crowds asking for the hits, and offers vague answers to the simplest questions.
At one point Sylvie says to him “I think about how much I’m going to miss you, and then I realise I don’t even know you”. The film’s title alludes to someone who wishes to be mysterious, rather than fighting for connection. It’s a clever approach, but the film’s refusal to strip back the layers means it doesn’t get inside Dylan’s head as much as some would like. The audience spends time in Dylan’s company, but doesn’t get to know him.
Despite this, there are some moments of absolute magic. One of the earliest scenes, where Dylan visits his idol Woody Guthrie (Scoot McNairy) in hospital, brings a tear to the eye; while the scene where he debuts The Times They Are A-Changin’ at a festival captures just how hopeful that song felt to those who witnessed it. If this is a film about Dylan the legend rather than the man, both Mangold and his star nail it.
Chalamet is transformative in the lead. As he wanders the streets of 1960s New York in Dylan’s signature sunglasses, it’s remarkable that this is the same actor who played Willy Wonka just over a year previously. As with Joaquin Phoenix in Walk The Line, another Mangold film, it’s not an impression of Dylan, but rather a performance of behaviour that feels staggeringly authentic.
He’s uplifted by the excellent Fanning, reflecting the pressure of sharing your love with the world, and Edward Norton as Pete Seeger, a mentor of Dylan’s who is moved further away as his prodigy finds fame. Sylvie is a renamed version of Suze Rotolo, Dylan’s real-life girlfriend who described him at this time as like “a black hole”. Through her and Seeger’s eyes, it’s clear to see how tough it is to live with a legend.
A Complete Unknown may seem evasive at times, but as a portrait of why Bob Dylan still means so much to so many, it’s an accomplished success. Chalamet should certainly be Oscar nominated for bringing such a well-known figure to life, and a win wouldn’t be out of the question either.
• A Complete Unknown is out now