Twenty years on from his critically acclaimed Johnny Cash picture, writer and director James Mangold returns to the musical biopic sub-genre with 1960s drama A Complete Unknown. Based on the 2015 book Dylan Goes Electric! by Elijah Wald, the plot follows a young Bob Dylan (Timothée Chalamet) on his sudden rise to fame. Arriving in New York with nothing but his guitar, he begins a relationship with Sylvie Russo (Elle Fanning) then after meeting fellow singers Pete Seeger (Edward Norton) and Woody Guthrie (Scoot McNairy), he is welcomed into the city’s bohemian folk scene.
Focusing on four pivotal years of Dylan’s story, Mangold’s narrative might be somewhat conventional in its structure but it understands the political richness of the period and, more importantly, how this fuelled the protagonist’s powerful songwriting. Illustrating the smoky hangouts of Greenwich Village through grainy textures and brown hues, the note-perfect tone and dogeared production design help to capture the essence and energy of the time, and historical events such as the Cuban Missile Crisis and JFK’s assassination are woven into the tale.
As his reputation grows, his romantic life becomes turbulent as his passion with his peer Joan Baez spills off-stage. The blunt honesty of the script isn’t far off from that of the subject himself and doesn’t shy away from his selfishness and cruelty within his relationships. Dylan’s renegade attitude worsens with the attention he attracts, and this comes through brilliantly in sequences of live performance; a stirring rendition of The Times They Are A-Changin’ is particularly impactful and his appearances at the Newport Folk Festival signpost significant moments in the piece.
In recent years, Timothée Chalamet has become one of the Hollywood’s most popular names and has proven himself a leading man in the likes of Wonka and the latest Dune movies. Also serving as a producer on the piece, it’s evident he’s put in the work in with the entertaining recreations of Dylan’s unique brand of showmanship. There’s an unkempt magnetism to his presence that sheds the playful twink persona he enjoys off-screen. He’s joined by a stellar supporting cast, with each of their characters pulling a slightly different part of Dylan’s challenging personality to the fore. Monica Barbaro is particularly great as Baez, a worthy sparring partner for him when he’s at his most volatile. In a much smaller part with the character’s health declining due to Huntington’s disease, Scoot McNairy is quietly moving as Woody Guthrie; their scenes have a sly humour to them as an adoring fan and idol connection transforms into something more meaningful.
Backstage at a festival, we hear Johnny Cash (played by an excellent Boyd Holbrook) mutter to Dylan to “go track some mud on somebody’s carpet” ahead of one of his many rousing performances. While director James Mangold might keep the rug relatively clean in his traditional approach to storytelling, Chalamet brings the dirt with his barnstorming portrayal of an unapologetically evolving artist.
Cinema Perspective 
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