A Complete Unknown – Movie Review

Bob Dylan is one of the most important musicians of his time. He revolutionized the music landscape, pushing the boundaries of folk music with poetic lyricism that went against traditional songwriting. Many of his songs became anthems for civil rights and anti-war movements in the 60s and inspired other genres moving forward. This past holiday season, A Complete Unknown was released to theaters, a biopic covering Dylan’s initial rise to fame. 

Dylan is portrayed by Timothée Chalamet, who bears a resemblance to a younger Bob. Chalamet does an impressive job of being able to disappear into the role, as at some point in the movie I almost forgot it was him. He nails Dylan’s distinctive voice and his delivery really amplifies the line he’s reading. It is no secret that Chalamet is a talented actor, and in this movie, that is no different. 

What is interesting to note is that this biopic doesn’t cover Bob Dylan’s entire career – just his rise to fame, which spans from 1961 to 1965. We see him move to New York City with almost nothing except his guitar and dreams of becoming a successful musician. The movie sees how over the course of just a couple of years, Dylan solidifies himself as a cultural icon. So while the movie covers a small portion of his life, it is arguably the most pivotal part.  

Bob Dylan was known as someone who hated conforming to traditional music and always pushed himself to create something different than what was normal at the time. This is what the conflict centers around. We see Dylan face plenty of external pressure to do exactly what his fans and the record label want. They want him to stick with his folk roots that initially made him famous, and continue to perform his most popular songs during live performances. But Dylan has no desire to do any of the sort and would rather create music that challenges and redefines the folk genre, for which he faces an extreme amount of backlash. 

The 1965 Newport Folk Festival serves as the movie’s climax. This was a significant moment in music history, when Dylan shifted from acoustic folk to electric folk, combining the folk and rock genres for the first time. He performed three songs backed by electric instruments, which fans saw as a betrayal of traditional folk. This was my favorite scene, as it contextualized a lot of previous scenes that showcased Dylan’s rebellious nature and refusal to conform.  

I got a lot out of this moment, as I love and enjoy when artists experiment with their new material when they can easily stick with the music that they might be known for making. An artist can make an album that becomes a smash hit, though when it comes to the album that follows it, they are faced with a choice. Do they essentially make the same album again and confirm their success? Or do they branch out and create something that ventures into a new style, despite what their fans might be used to? 

I found this movie to be interesting. I went into it knowing close to nothing about Bob Dylan, and while it did only cover a small portion of his life and career, it meant that the movie was able to drill down into this short time period and give a lot of attention and care to everything that came with it. Bob Dylan’s entire career spans a very long time, he is still performing to this day. Perhaps a movie that tried to cover more of his career would’ve resulted in a lot of important context being cut for time’s sake. I’m glad the movie was set during a small period, as it allowed more focus on what was happening. I got a lot of enjoyment out of it, and I feel inspired to go check out some of his work.