Nominated for six BAFTAs this morning, the long-awaited biopic of Bob Dylan biopic finally lands in UK cinemas this weekend.
Approved by the Bard himself, A Complete Unknown is a film of two halves: his rise to stardom in 1961 as a folk singer whose poetic lyrics caught the American political imagination, followed by his controversial choice in 1965 to be true to his own creativity in going electric.
Hollywood golden boy Timothée Chalamet stars as the man once known as Robert Zimmerman, baring a striking resemblance to the music icon.
In what is an Oscar-worthy portrayal, the 29-year-old masterfully captures Dylan’s nonchalant mystique.
From chain-smoking with a buzzy bee-like mumble, to being seemingly shy and aloof, Chalamet plays a rare man of sheer talent who effortlessly rises to the top.
Portraying the Bard as totally disinterested in his celebrity and everything that comes with it (he hated the idea of singing Blowin’ in the Wind for the rest of his life), Chalamet is completely convincing as the uncompromising and reclusive singer-songwriter who wants to live as normal a life as possible. His Dylan is all about the music and nothing much else (aside from the odd affair) and causes great tension in his gatekeeping folk community when choosing to go electric in 1965.
A Complete Unknown is directed by James Mangold, whose signature Western-adjacent aesthetics and brown-felt colours are as present as ever in this engrossing period biopic arriving 20 years after his Oscar-winning Walk the Line. In fact, his regular collaborator and lucky charm Boyd Holbrook plays something of an extended cameo as a particularly masculine version of Johnny Cash, following in the footsteps of Joaquin Phoenix.
Like the latter, Chalamet plays guitar and sings uncanny covers of over 40 Dylan songs, captured live on camera by Mangold, who “got the chills” watching the young star perform them. Unlike the Elvis movie, which shortened many of the King’s hits, A Complete Unknown lets us take in extended cuts of the Bard’s back catalogue, allowing more time for warranted reflection.
Other notable supporting roles are the gorgeous Monica Barbaro as Dylan’s fellow folk singer and lover Joan Baez and Edward Norton as the particularly gentle Peter Seeger, who helped the Bard be discovered. Meanwhile, Elle Fanning co-stars as Sylvia Russo (based on Suze Rotolo, Dylan’s girlfriend at the time), although her role could have had more to do. At 2 hours 20 minutes, this film is a little too long. However, it’s a handsome picture that perfectly encapsulates the unique persona and talents of a mysterious man still on his Never Ending Tour, whose impact on American music, politics and culture is still felt to this day.
A Complete Unknown is released in UK cinemas on Friday.
