Biopics have always had a strong foothold in cinema. They give actors an opportunity to give the audience a look into the private life of someone in the public eye. Singers tend to be a popular topic of the genre, but no recent biopic focuses are as interesting as that of “A Complete Unknown.”
Released in the United States on Dec. 25, the plot follows the career of folk icon Bob Dylan. No one was prepared for the James Mangold-helmed film to be a great holiday gift to audiences, both to fans of Dylan and those hearing him for the first time. This film recently received several Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture and Best Director for Mangold.
The film opens with Dylan, who picks up all he has and travels to New York to meet his icon, Woody Guthrie. From there he meets Pete Seeger, his girlfriend Sylvie Russo and fellow musician and affair partner Joan Baez. He navigates stardom, relationships, and his transition to using electric guitar in a primarily acoustic environment.
This role was no easy feat for lead Timothée Chalamet, as this was unlike any others he had taken before. He was tasked with embodying a figure with a very distinct look and attitude. Additionally, he must replicate not only his specific accent when speaking, but the way he sings. Despite all these hurdles, his performance is a resounding success.
Chalamet is aided by an excellent cast. A standout amongst the list is Edward Norton, who portrays Pete Seeger, an influential figure at the start of Dylan’s career. Much like Chalamet in his respective role, Norton is incredibly believable and transformative as Seeger.
Among these are Elle Fanning, Monica Barbaro [who also got an Academy Award nomination for supporting actress as Joan Baez], Boyd Holbrook, Dan Fogler and Will Harrison. Fanning and Barbaro, his longtime girlfriend and affair partner, respectively, are both excellent additions to the cast.
The screenplay is incredibly interesting. Adapted from the novel “Dylan Goes Electric!” by Jay Cocks, the film does a great job at exampling how the guitar he used impacted his lifestyle and his public persona.
The dialogue is succinct and impactful but is overwhelmed by the amount of singing. Though it seems like a bad thing, it educates the audience on Dylan’s music at different points in his career and life as a whole
The movie’s 140-minute runtime flies by. This can be attributed to its fast pace and its musical content. We learn so much about Dylan’s life and career in this span, but it doesn’t feel packed. Information is released at a manageable and entertaining pace that keeps audiences engaged throughout the whole film.
The movie’s visuals perfectly encapsulate Bob Dylan’s aesthetic, as it almost seems to match the look of his albums, as well as the trends of the era. The costumes are realistic to Dylan’s personal style and reflect the counterculture and 1960s era fashions.
The director does a great job at maintaining audience focus on the characters and not on film form with simple, though captivating, cinematography. The music-heavy film contributes to excellent sound design and production.
“A Complete Unknown” is a near flawless production with showstopping performances that can make people of all ages respect the music and legacy of Bob Dylan.
“A Complete Unknown” is now playing in theaters.
