
The story then jumps to 1965. Dylan is now incredibly famous but feeling frustrated, desperate to break free from the stifling constraints of folk’s dogmas. Rebellious, angry and determined to constantly reinvent himself, Dylan begins experimenting with electric guitar. This is anathema to Seeger and the proponents of trad folk. “They just want me singing ‘Blowin’ in the Wind’ for the rest of my goddamn life,” drawls a furious Dylan.
A Complete Unknown feels closer to a musical than a traditional biopic. Songs dominate the film, with short narrative interludes linking each one together. Thankfully, the music itself is fantastic. It’s hard to resist the urge to get up and applaud at the end of each song. Chalamet and Barbaro deliver wonderful vocal performances, perfectly capturing the spirit of Dylan and Baez. In fact, the film is packed to the rafters with brilliant performances. Norton’s Seeger is powerfully affecting, especially when you witness the heartbreak as he watches his surrogate son Dylan abandoning him. Barbaro as a lively Baez, attracted to our star’s obvious talent whilst seeing right through his manufactured mystique. “You’re kind of an asshole, Bob,” she archly – and accurately – observes. And Fanning as a captivating Sylvie, slowly recognising she’ll never be more than a satellite trapped in the musician’s all-encompassing orbit.
Unsurprisingly, there’s already plenty of Oscar buzz generating around Chalamet and rightly so. He emotionally and physically inhabits the role of Dylan – a significant challenge for any actor, but particularly one who is already so well-known. This is wonderful entertainment, musical cinema at its absolute finest.
By Barney Pell Scholes
A Complete Unknown is out now. 20thcenturystudios.com.au/movies/a-complete-unknown
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