By Marta Karpovich
A Bob Dylan biopic, A Complete Unknown follows the singer on his journey to stardom, beginning in the early 1960’s upon his arrival to New York. A Complete Unknown depicts Dylan’s folk era and the beginning of his transition into Rock and Roll.
Timothée Chalamet shines in his portrayal of Dylan, capturing the singer’s mannerisms and attitude masterfully. Chalamet truly transforms in this film, becoming largely unrecognizable beneath Dylan’s signature curly hair and sunglasses. The voice, in particular, was impressive, and Chalamet portrayed Dylan’s tone, inflection and cadence wonderfully throughout the film.
Chalamet stood out in an otherwise mediocre movie. The direction, by James Mangold, carried the audience through the film, but was largely unexceptional and plain. He lacked the artistic quality of filmmaking and appealed rather to the simpler commercial market. Each scene was cut short as the audience was rushed to the next shot, and all of them seemed to be lacking real substance. Much of this, I believe, can be attributed to the dialogue, which was few and far between. The characters’ words were simple, plain and did not communicate anything new to the audience. Rather, much of the film was filled with Chalamet’s singing. While the actor is surely talented, the film felt more like a concert than a story; the audience watched him play guitar for two hours. Consequently, the film lacked a real thread and was rather a scattered compilation of Dylan favorites. Woody Guthrie appeared throughout the story, hinting at the transition of stardom from one generation to the next, but the film did not do enough to fully make that point.
My prediction is that Timothée Chalamet will win Best Actor this awards season.
UPDATE: A Complete Unknown did not win any awards at the 2025 Golden Globes, held January 5.
Leave a Reply