A Complete Unknown (dir. James Mangold)

By: Adam Freed

Director James Mangold’s (Ford v. Ferrari, Logan) Bob Dylan bipoc A Complete Unknown is a film that reveals so little about Dylan that one has to settle on the conclusion that perhaps that’s the point. In 1961 a 19 year-old Dylan makes the long trek from Minnesota to New York’s Greenwich Village with little more than a backpack and a guitar. Demonstrating an unquestionable tenacity in pursuit of his dream, Dylan  forces a crossing of paths with folk legends, Pete Seeger, and an ailing Woody Guthrie. From this initial meeting his talent as both a musician and a writer is so unstoppable that the two genre luminaries know that they have encountered an agent of change.  A great deal of the film’s opening act is spent witnessing the august names of folk music fawn over Dylan’s otherworldly gifts, a wise choice that will provide audiences an explanation for the waves of goosebumps they experience in watching Timothée Chalamet (Dune, Wonka) morph into the genre bending musical legend.

In witnessing Chalamet’s ascent from promising young actor to bonafide chameleonic performance royalty also explains why it has taken so long for a biopic of the incomparable folk legend to come to fruition.  There is likely only one actor alive who can achieve what Chalamet accomplishes in Mangold’s captivating film. From the initial notes the young star sings in Dylan’s unmistakable, raspy cadence, it is clear that something special is happening.  It is fair to question if the physical reaction one is likely to experience in watching A Complete Unknown is the product of Dylan’s greatness and not a reaction to the film itself, yet room must be left to believe that the answer can be found in the cohabitation of both ideas.  For everyone that fires up Highway 61 Revisited on Spotify, two things become instantly apparent, the music is timeless, but the album’s timelessness comes by way of being a product of a very specific and pivotal moment in American history.  Mangold’s film allows for audiences to imbibe in Dylan’s influences and witness the evolution of the American ongoings that prompt the creation of his revolutionary style.

Portraying the life of the American icon through A Complete Unknown is not achievable without a pair of monumental supporting performances.  Edward Norton (Primal Fear, Fight Club) plays a devastatingly kind, generous and fatherly Pete Seeger.  Norton’s presence evolves from that of a proud parent stoking the flames of childhood interest to that of a Frankenstein-like inventor who comes to question the very genius of his creation.  As great as Norton is in the film, it is the supporting performance of Monica Barbaro (Top Gun: Maverick) as Joan Baez that gives audiences permission to feel in awe of Dylan’s greatness as well as her own. Baez is herself folk royalty, and the unstable magnetism that she and Dylan share throughout their tumultuous years together is a fine reminder that there are some kinetic bonds that only geniuses can experience. Barbaro’s work is significant because she perfectly captures both the appreciation and exasperation that Dylan instills in those closest to him.

There will be individuals who criticize James Mangold’s film as being void of meaningful conflict or revelation, which would be fair commentary if the film’s title hadn’t intentionally foretold the mysterious and wandering nature of its subject. A Complete Unknown isn’t a story interested in unearthing the long lost truths of Bob Dylan’s past, rather in acting as a dual celebration for the music that came to define a generation, and for the incomparable Chalemet who is sure to introduce Dylan’s music to future generations. With so many of Hollywood’s most gifted actors working through the final stanzas of their careers, witnessing the 28-year-old Timothée Chalamet’s continued elevation, one cannot help but to draw the conclusion that Bob Dylan was right all along, the times they are a-changin’.

Target Score: 7.5/10 - Although light on conflict, James Mangold’s A Complete Unknown is a masterful collection of musical performances fronted by its star Timothée Chalamet.  Supporting roles by Monica Barbaro and Edward Norton solidify the Searchlight Pictures film as a must for fans of either Bob Dylan or the riveting young man who captures him to near perfection.