A Complete Unknown

My impressions of 2024's A COMPLETE UNKNOWN were favorable if not enthusiastic on first viewing.  I didn't feel co-writer/director James Mangold offered any real insight to his subject, Bob Dylan.  His film views Dylan as a curiosity, an enigma. That can appropriate for certain characters in certain movies but for a project such as this, a high profile biopic, I wanted more.  I wanted Timothee Chalamet, who portrays the mysterious genius, to express without necessarily being too expressive.  I didn't need some cheesy voiceover of his thoughts.  Just something more vivid.  Alive.  Telling.  When the film ended I felt I knew even less about the artist than I did before.

The day after I saw this film, I heard Mangold on Marc Maron's podcast.  This proved to beneficial to my experience, my connection.  One thing the director said really illuminated it - this is essentially the portrait of a lonely guy.  Lonely because he possesses an effortless genius not shared by anyone in his circle.  How can they understand? Not his girlfriend "Sylvie" - based on Suze Rotolo - played by Elle Fanning.  Not his friend and mentor Pete Seeger (Edward Norton). Not his manager Albert Grossman (Dan Fogler).  Not even his musical colleague/sometime lover Joan Baez (Monica Barbaro).

Chalamet does a creditable job.  More than serviceable.  He embodies the spirit of Bob Dylan.  He doesn't really try to sound like him.  His hairdos are a game attempt at looking like him.  He also smokes a lot of cigarettes. He gets some mileage out of the acoustic and electric.  Norton also learned how to play.  His performance deserves some respect.

Mangold and Jay Cocks adapted Elijah Wald's Dylan Goes Electric!, and the besides the relational dramatics between Bob and his women the main conflict will prove to be Dylan's decision to move on from folk music.  An artist of this caliber must evolve.  The climax involves a will-he-or-won't-he (go electric) as he plays his last Newport Jazz Festival.  The organizers - and Seeger - feel Bob will betray not only them, but folk music and all that it stands for if plugs in.  

A COMPLETE UNKNOWN works best as a technical exercise.  Mangold and D.P. Phedon Papamichael convincingly capture early to mid-'60s NYC.   Every detail feels authentic, right down to the extras.  The recreation of Dylan's tunes are acceptable to good.  Good enough, I would say.