‘A Complete Unknown’ REVIEW: You Might Want To Think Twice Before Seeing This Bob Dylan Biopic
‘A Complete Unknown’ REVIEW: You Might Want To Think Twice Before Seeing This Bob Dylan Biopic
Timothée Chalamet as Bob Dylan / Taken from The Walt Disney Studios
As people may know, Bob Dylan is one of the most influential musicians of all time. Even to someone who’s not as invested in his discography, Dylan is really well-referenced and a name I would hear artists I love to call as someone who influenced them heavily. After watching the film, I would say I had heard a song or two from Dylan that may have crossed my shuffle playlist nowadays, or from a track my parents, uncles, and aunts would play back when I was younger. That being said, this biopic, however accurate it is, would probably be an excellent treat for the Bob Dylan fans.
Starring Timothée Chalamet, A Complete Unknown explores Bob Dylan's life, how he came to be, and some of his career struggles, including — dare I say — complicated relationships. The film begins in 1961 as Dylan arrives in New York City, seeking a path for his music career and meeting his heroes, Woody Guthrie and Pete Seeger. This was during a time when the government was highly critical and paranoid about music being released, with a hint of progressiveness and consciousness relating to the political climate at the time. Impressed by his musicality and affinity for songwriting, Guthrie decided to take him in as he embarked on his career.
Bob Dylan arriving in New York City / Taken from The Walt Disney Studios
In terms of my watching experience, I wasn’t sure if it was my lack of knowledge of Bob Dylan that made me less invested in him, or if it was how the film was structured, or if Bob Dylan’s character may have been too accurate as to how he was portrayed, to the detriment of his relatability, because honestly, he came off as smug and arrogant for the most part of the movie, at least from my point of view. If the latter part were the case, I would say that Chalamet performed superbly as the renowned singer-songwriter.
Timothée Chalamet is a prominent, in-demand actor nowadays. Despite being familiar with his work, it feels like seeing him in a different light, which just demonstrates his acting chops and vocal abilities. Sure, it’s not Chalamet’s first film involving the need for vocals (*coughs* Wonka). Still, it certainly is different in this scenario and to this extent since you practically portray a real singer with such a tremendous reputation. His vocal inflections and technique suited the ‘essentially folk and experimental rock’ singer’s style — the best description I can do for Dylan’s music style and genre, and since he was pretty controversial at that time as he started in the folk music scene — where people preferred simpler, acoustic instruments.
Elle Fanning as Sylvie Russo and Timothée Chalamet as Bob Dylan / Taken from The Walt Disney Studios
The real-life clips and scenes where they recreate the era when the film happened did not sway me that much despite reading through how serious it was politically during that time; in other words, it could not substantiate the feeling of political unrest, which is heavily implied as an inspiration for most of Dylan’s music, as he began his career capitalizing off the political climate at that time to gain his following.
There are a lot of ‘whys’ looming around my head that I wish could have been answered, such as the changes he went through ultimately being called a ‘sell out’ by some. People might take into consideration how there was a lack of Bob Dylan’s past prior to 1961, but I honestly didn’t mind since it really serves a purpose with Dylan’s secretive nature and how hiding his past was a big part of a conflict he had with his partner, Sylvie Russo (Elle Fanning). Plotwise, I wish the reasons behind Bob Dylan’s decisions had been expounded on more, as it might enable non-regular Dylan listeners to gravitate toward and root for him. The part where he gets involved with Joan Baez (Monica Barbaro) felt abrupt and way too sudden despite the hints already present, so I would say it may have been how the story was structured and the details that were lacking.
Some scenes felt cut too short, not allowing the audience to simmer in the moment, and the story was going way too fast. I also had a sense that the film was not something cinematic since there were not many purposeful technical aspects that were able to move or captivate me, which is fine since the film may just work as an excellent fan service for the Bob Dylan followers out there. Some people lean on fictionalized narratives when discussing real-life happenings, as this is easier to digest or sit through. Undoubtedly, I still encourage people to watch this, especially if you like getting to know the people behind your favorite music or if you prefer biopics over documentaries.
‘A Complete Unknown’ is now showing in Philippine cinemas.
