A Complete Unknown Celebrates the Dazzling Unknowability of Bob Dylan: Man, Legend, Jerk

As a longtime admirer of Bob Dylan and someone who has spent countless hours dissecting his lyrics, I found “A Complete Unknown” to be an enchanting and thought-provoking journey into the mythos of one of America’s greatest artists. Timothée Chalamet’s performance was nothing short of mesmerizing, capturing not just Dylan’s distinctive voice but also the elusive essence that lies beneath the enigmatic persona.

In the unconventional biographical film “A Complete Unknown,” portrayed by an actor who might or might not be a true representation of Bob Dylan, there is a character who exhibits a rather unpleasant demeanor. This individual arrives in New York City at age 19, having traveled by hitchhiking and carrying only a backpack and guitar. His immediate goal is to find his role model, Woody Guthrie. He expresses his desire to meet Guthrie, seeking inspiration, or as he puts it, “a spark.” However, instead of finding Guthrie in New York, he locates him in a hospital in New Jersey, battling Huntington’s disease and unable to speak. The young visitor is respectful but insistent on his quest for inspiration. He also encounters Pete Seeger, a well-respected and humble folk singer who allows the polite yet awkward kid to stay at his home when he realizes the youngster has nowhere else to go. This newcomer nearly enters the family’s modest, welcoming house without removing his shoes. Soon after, he crosses paths with Joan Baez, whose fame he starts to associate himself with, albeit subconsciously. He then meets Sylvie Russo, a smart folk music enthusiast, and manages to win her affection. Unfortunately, he goes on to mistreat both women. As people begin to listen to him perform—a distinctive, dissonant sound that seems to crack the earth—he starts receiving all the recognition he yearned for when he left Robert Zimmerman behind in Hibbing, Minnesota.

In simpler terms, the movie “A Complete Unknown” tackles more than most films can handle, and yet it only scratches the surface compared to Dylan’s life as portrayed in this film. The script was written by Jay Cocks, a regular collaborator with Martin Scorsese, and according to reports, even Dylan himself went over every line of the screenplay. Regardless of whether that’s true or not, the movie presents an unusual perspective on Dylan that goes beyond traditional adoration and offers a more genuine, flawed, and human portrayal. Back in my days as a young rock music critic, I remember conversations at parties about different Dylan bootlegs, always among men, discussing them in hushed tones. I’ve always loved Bob Dylan, but those discussions felt like trying to solve a mystery by reducing it to manageable parts. Who wants a solved mystery?

In Mangold’s film portrayal, Timothée Chalamet as Dylan exhibits an uncontainable, yet intriguing character – much like the real Dylan himself. At times, his public demeanor can be curt and off-putting, but in Mangold’s skilled direction, this is captivating rather than off-putting. The onscreen Dylan emerges in Greenwich Village as a rough, unexpected embodiment of the future, clad in an old green jacket and frayed scarf. His speech is halting, yet his thoughts appear anything but aimless; there’s a disarming honesty and resolve about him. This is a character who yearns for an identity, but is still struggling to find it.

During Woody’s visit to Guthrie at the hospital in New Jersey, Pete Seeger – his loyal companion – is present as well. As Woody enters, they all seem to accept an unspoken challenge, for Woody sings “Song for Woody” to them. Both men, including the weakened Guthrey, sense something extraordinary about him. Scoot McNairy portrays Guthrie; he’s thin and cranky, glaring resentfully from his hospital bed, clearly agitated by his inability to speak. Edward Norton plays Pete Seeger, whose face is as radiant as a sunflower. He’s quirky, down-to-earth, and endearing; he also played a significant role in Dylan’s rise, and in this outstanding performance, Norton beautifully embodies that spirit of effortless kindness.

Later on, Dylan begins performing at small village folk clubs, occasionally sharing the stage with more renowned artists. It’s during this time that he encounters Joan Baez, portrayed brilliantly by Monica Barbaro. Dressed in a schoolgirl plaid skirt and adorable flats, Baez sends chills down everyone’s spines with her haunting, ethereal rendition of “House of the Rising Sun.” Following her performance, Dylan offers his candid opinion: “She’s attractive. Has a lovely voice. Maybe just a tad too attractive. Humph.” In this way, the character from A Complete Unknown both compliments a woman and subtly undermines her; Dylan does this quite frequently. Noticeably, he can come off as rather arrogant.

At approximately the same period, Dylan encounters a clever and radiant young scholar and artist, who shares an equal knowledge of traditional American folk music with him. In the film, Elle Fanning portrays Sylvie Russo, Dylan’s initial and highly influential girlfriend. It’s said that Dylan requested her real name not be used in the movie to respect her privacy, even after her death. A notable figure in reality, Suze Rotolo, passed away in 2011, leaving behind a captivating memoir titled “A Freewheelin’ Time.” Dylan tries to win her over by offering her a peanut, claiming he lived off them while traveling with a circus. Later on, after they watched the classic Bette Davis film “Now, Voyager,” he imitated Paul Henreid by lighting two cigarettes simultaneously – a sign of his ability to both charm and deceive.

Sylvie is not easily deceived, but she deeply cares for this man, trusting him despite situations where she probably shouldn’t. Meanwhile, his fame grows, while hers maintains a consistent glow. As portrayed by Fanning, Sylvie exudes an air of composure similar to a gentle summer breeze. It’s no surprise that Dylan tries to reconnect with her after he deceives her, but Sylvie knows when it’s time to walk away. She is a woman who finds herself in the wrong orbit of an artist – a place nobody would choose to be.

In the script somewhere, Dylan penned “Blowin’ in the Wind” amidst a wrinkled bed, clad only in his underwear. The film A Complete Unknown understands that brilliance dwells in the periphery. Some have expressed concern that the movie sidelines women from Dylan’s life, but I believe they are central to the narrative—they’re more captivating than he is because, unlike him, they inhabit reality. He’s so engrossed in living through his art (which, it must be said, proved quite extraordinary) that there’s barely a man left. Timothée Chalamet masterfully embodies this essence of the film. Instead of trying to seize the spotlight, he seamlessly blends into it. He certainly mimics Dylan’s speech rhythm flawlessly and even sings the songs himself—his renditions are like mesmerizing reflections of the originals, alluring in their own right. However, let’s be honest: Dylan is simple to imitate, so much so that when we hear the genuine Bob Dylan sing, it seems as if he’s impersonating himself. (This could also explain the almost indisputable fact that Dylan has never performed any of his songs identically across decades of concerts.) Chalamet taps into something more elusive than mere mimicry. As Dylan, there are instances when his eyes appear as blank and smooth as a newly wiped chalkboard, as if he were shielding the whirling thoughts in his mind from intruders and onlookers—even perhaps the women in his life.

In a playful reinterpretation: Bob Dylan, famed for his fictitious tales, even beyond his songs. His 2004 memoir, Chronicles: Volume One, title hints at humor, implying that Volume Two might never come. Yet, his disregard for facts doesn’t limit him; it liberates, enticing us to create our own version of Bob Dylan – perhaps he wishes us to surpass the flawed original. The intriguing 2019 documentary by Scorsese, Rolling Thunder Revue: A Bob Dylan Story, is a testament to this. Could it be that Dylan saw some lines from the script of A Complete Unknown and thought, “This rings true; I was such a jerk”? If so, what does that reveal about the real Dylan, a figure who, at 83, has grown so vast that comprehending his genuine self or his art becomes an impossible mission?

In simpler terms, James Mangold has experience creating films about enigmatic figures who transcend ordinary understanding, such as his 2005 portrayal of Johnny Cash in “Walk the Line.” This film didn’t provide any insights into Cash that were easily comprehensible, and similarly, “A Complete Unknown” won’t offer any new understandings about Bob Dylan. The movie does contain some omissions and fictional events which might upset some dedicated Dylan fans, especially when it comes to the misrepresentation of a historical event; Dylan was actually heckled as “Judas!” at the 1966 Royal London Hall concert, not at the 1965 Newport Jazz Festival as portrayed in the film.

But come, now: gimlets are for drinking, for celebration, for pleasure, and A Complete Unknown is, too. Like a Dylan song, it doesn’t scorn myriad interpretations; it invites them. Just before Chalamet-Dylan writes that now-famous protest song from his palace of an unmade bed, he strums his guitar and says to no one in particular—certainly not to the woman who has just risen from that bed, Barbaro-Baez—“These are chords I learned from a cowboy named Wigglefoot.” Believe him at your peril. Believe it all. That’s what you do when you fall in love with an artist, a song, a jerk. The fact-checked heart is no heart at all.

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2024-12-25 15:08