A Complete Unknown

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Bob Dylan (Timothée Chalamet) hitchhikes to New York city to meet his idol Woody Guthrie (Scoot McNairy). He finds out that the folk singer is in New Jersey battling Huntington’s disease. Upon reaching the care facility, Bob finds Guthrie with his close friend Pete Seeger (Edward Norton), a folk singer and activist who has an ongoing court case. The young musician is coaxed into singing one of his original compositions impromptu, which ends up impressing both Seeger and Guthrie. Soon, Dylan finds himself being dragged across town by Seeger, introducing him as an aspiring folk singer. He meets Sylvie Russo (Elle Fanning) in one of his gigs and they start a relationship. Slowly gaining popularity, Dylan is soon paired with established folk singer Joan Baez (Monica Barbaro), the two frequently performing together being a consistent bone of contention between the couple. As Dylan rises to the top of the folk music scene, his sudden shift to electric instruments raises eyebrows and puts his career at risk.

I don’t know who Bob Dylan is. I don’t know any of his songs either. The only reason why he exists in my consciousness is because of yet another loose biopic of his which was released in the early aughts, in which six actors played him, one of them being Cate Blanchett who got nominated in various award giving bodies that season in the Best Supporting Actress category for portraying a man. I didn't see that movie either. As such, I really have no expectations whatsoever because I simply don’t know the guy. Did Chalamet give the role justice? Again, I have no idea, even though I believe as though he nailed it somehow because I felt like I was getting a proper introduction to the subject in question through his performance.

Let’s leave the pointing out of inaccuracies to the Bob Dylan experts. While Chalamet will always seem to be the perennial twink regardless of whether he has facial hair or not, I do not see a lot of complaints about his rendition of Dylan’s physicality. After watching the film and Googling images of Dylan himself, I can see the resemblance, especially when it comes to the distinct hairstyle. Of course, Chalamet also sings the songs himself, and the change in elocution is noteworthy, not just during the song numbers but also when it comes to his speaking voice. In short, it is evident that Timothée fully committed to the role.

It’s been a good seven years since Chalamet's first and only Oscar nomination, and it is nice to see him back in the awards conversation after almost a decade of diverse roles ranging from box office fodder to rather niche projects. Winning the SAG for this performance is an indication that his peers believe in his talent. He might have missed the Oscar again, but it is now obvious that this kid is set to become one of the best actors of his generation. Hopefully, he won’t get tired of aspiring for greatness despite the setbacks. His time will come.

Norton and Barbaro offer solid support and it is good to see them get rewarded with nominations of their own, even though the supporting categories this year have already had solid frontrunners from the get-go. Not to be ignored is Fanning who is also such a presence on screen despite her limited exposure. Overall, A Complete Unknown is a dream ensemble of actors who go beyond expectations and just leave a smile on your face for their honest and inspiring portrayals as well as their commitment to the music!

A Complete Unknown is not really a full biopic. The extent of Dylan’s life story is only covered up to that controversial time of his life when he was struggling to break free from the genre that gave him his breakout opportunities. Whatever happens to most of the characters later on are summarized with a short paragraph or two flashed on the screen before credits roll. If you do not know Bob Dylan and just want a watchable intro to his life and music, then this film is perfect as a starting point. The rest you will just have to fill in with other biopics like the aforementioned I’m Not There (2007) as well as the countless documentaries available to date.