Before watching A Complete Unknown, I had no clue what the movie was about only that it was a biopic and that Timothée Chalamet aka "Lisan Al Gaib" was the main actor on what was set to be a memorable biopic, on the other side of the couch my wife had a wider idea and is who push me to watch this movie since I'm not a Bob Dylan fan but I have seen other musicians biopic that turn out really great, so I was curious to see how Timothee Chalamet would tackle such an iconic figure. The movie focuses on a specific chapter of Dylan's life that is his arrival in New York in 1961 through his controversial electric performance at the 1965 Newport Folk Festival, most of this I have to look it up since during the movie I was just going with it.
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The production does a very smart thing to do and that is just not trying to cram Dylan's entire six decade career into one movie, director Mangold wisely narrows the scope to show how this young, enigmatic artist transformed from a folk music to a cultural phenomenon who would change many peoples life forever. The movie takes its title from a line in "Like a Rolling Stone" which feels just right since the movie doesn't try to solve the mystery of Bob Dylan but rather lift up his strange but unique enigmatic nature, all this between his art and fame, showing how Dylan's creativity was shaped by the world around him both on a personal and political level.
The movie develops around 1961 right when Bob Dylan was 20 years old, arriving in New York City with nothing but a guitar and a backpack, for his first stop he had to visit his idol Woody Guthrie, who is hospitalized with Huntington's disease, its here where he meets folk legend Pete Seeger, who almost immediately like the sound of Dylan after hearing him play. Seeger introduces Dylan to the Greenwich Village folk scene where he quickly begins to make a name for himself, it is during this time that Dylan meets and falls for Sylvie Russo, who I latter figure out is based on his real girlfriend Suze Rotolo, I wonder they probably didn't have the approval to stick with the real names, she was also an artist and activist involved in the civil rights movement who encourages him to write and perform his own songs rather than traditional folk. As Dylan's star rises, he also connects with Joan Baez who was already an established folk star, who helps launch his career by recording his songs and bringing him on tour.
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The movie shows how Dylan's songwriting evolves from traditional folk to more politically charged material like "Masters of War" and "The Times They Are A Changin"; those two I look up too since I had no knowledge of the name of this songs, the influence of the turbulent events of the early 60s had to do a lot with this songs happening, including the Cuban Missile Crisis and the civil rights movement. Throughout the movie we see Dylan constantly chaning the narrative of himself, telling different stories about his past and keeping everyone at his reach, he was a very calculative person, someone who was good at choosing who was useful for him and kept them close. One could say that Dylan was a rebel in the middle of a genre that was full of purist, it is the case when in everyone went crazy when Dylan play at the Newport Folk Festival, but he took the crazy decision to perform with an electric band and it was obvious this would generate chaos among the more folk purist, even including some of the ones who back him up from the beginning.
I have to say that as a person who had no taste or clue for his music after watching "A Complete Unknown" it gave me a new appreciation for both Dylan's music and the cultural moments that build up the legend he is. I can't tell if the movie did a good job recreating the Greenwich Village folk scene of the early 60s but at least the production was great, from the very dim lit clubs to the political activism that was so mix with each other along with the music, felt like at least the 60s that everyone now days is use to watch on TV, I'm from the 90s so can't tell how vivid or real this moments where. What I can tell stuck with me the most is how the movie shows Dylan not as some mythic genius but as a young man absorbing influences from everyone around him to then take his own path, it was the case of watching Guthrie, Seeger, Cash, Baez and Russo all contribute to his artistic development in different ways.
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The movie is not shy at all when it comes to showing let say Dylan's less admirable qualities and moments, particularly his self centeredness and the way he uses people before discarding them when they are no longer useful, I could only describe this as the proper ambition and progress mind set. This last part makes me feel like his description during the movie was probably very honest with no fear if some may not like his character, even if it makes him less likable at times but that is the thing about movies, make you feel something about it and not fall flat. One thing that did feel off to me was the absence of drugs in the story, come on it was the 60s, everything goes, even on Steve Jobs biopics was mention a bit of acid during his days, specially for a movie setup in the bohemian music scene of the 60 everyone seems just too clean and cut to be hones, with cigarettes being the only substance in sight, where was the good old pod from the days?. I wonder if this was a concession made because Dylan himself was involved in the production, none the less the movie succeeds in capturing the creative energy of the time and Dylan as center role in transforming music.
I'm 200% sure there is way much more to Dylan history and music than what is told during this biopic but as I mention it did good at just centering at certain events in Dylan's life. Overall is a solid 7/10 for me, an engaging and well made biopic; one of the most difficult and criticize genre in cinema, having an actor like Timothee Chalamet who has a great spectrum when it comes to recreate dramatic and iconic characters help a lot, the movie benefits from strong performances and with a focused approach to its side of the story, rather than trying to explain Dylan entire story from born, rise and last moments, showing us the artist from the outside in through the eyes of those around him. The movie succeeds in capturing a pivotal moment in American music history when folk traditions were giving way to rock and roll with Dylan standing at the front of the line of this drastic change in history. While I wish the film had been a bit grittier and more raw about the realities of the 60s music scene, it still does a great job not only focusing on Dylan but in what change on music during those times.
