The story of Bob Dylan going electric has been told countless times before, and it may just be told a few hundred more times moving forward. But never has it been so painstakingly recreated as it is in James Mangold’s wonderful new film A Complete Unknown.
Anchored by a star turn from actor Timothee Chalamet, A Complete Unknown examines the life and myth of Bob Dylan from his initial arrival in New York in 1961 until he goes electric at the Newport Folk Festival in 1965. But it’s not just Chalamet who shines in the film, as he’s joined on stage many times by Monica Barbaro’s pitch-perfect Joan Baez. Together, Dylan and Baez spoke for a generation, and in A Complete Unknown, Chalamet and Barbaro manage to pass that message on to audiences everywhere.
As is always going to be the case with a musical biopic, so much of A Complete Unknown depends on its soundtrack, and the music is put especially front and center in the film, even by the standards of a musical biopic. Luckily, Chalamet and Barbaro are both up to the challenge, playing and singing a whole slew of iconic songs including Girl from the North Country, It Aint Me Babe, and Blowin in the Wind. And of course the whole thing builds up to an electrifying performance of Like a Rolling Stone.
After leaving the theater, I was so enrapt by Dylan, Baez, and the recreated 1960s that I had to go home and immediately watch the legendary 1967 Dylan doc Don’t Look Back to see the real figures and continue my immersion in their story. It served as the perfect double feature, and it really highlighted just how excellent of a portrayal A Complete Unknown managed to be.
A Complete Unknown is now playing. Don’t Look Back is streaming on Max.
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