SPILL FILM REVIEW: A COMPLETE UNKNOWN

A COMPLETE UNKNOWN

SEARCHLIGHT PICTURES

DECEMBER 25, 2024

How do you make a movie about a living legend with so many layers to their persona? You get writer/director James Mangold and Timothée Chalamet, whose transformation of Bob Dylan is a jaw-dropping experience, to create a once-in-a-lifetime movie, A Complete Unknown. The movie was released in Dec 2024, and to keep it real, Dylan served as the executive producer, which also helped Mangold capture a side of this iconic genius that the average person has never seen.

This movie will astonish you as you witness a star being born as Chalamet embodies the once 19-year-old Dylan. There is a stark moment when you see Dylan’s genius mind at work while writing a song, which will surely be one of the best iconic scenes from this mesmerising biopic film.

Then there is that magical moment when Dylan and the iconic folk singer/activist Joan Baez, played by Monica Barbaro, meet and inspire a whole generation of baby boomers. The OSCAR® nominated actors do a magnificent job depicting the chemistry between Dylan and Baez. You can feel their special bond when the film cuts to these artists singing “Blowin’ In The Wind” in their underwear, sprawled lovingly across the bed. There is a quick understanding that Baez is the person Dylan needed most at that time in his life when she introduces him to a whole new audience. The only thing missing from this film was divulging more of this historically significant relationship.

A Complete Unknown captures a better understanding of life during the 1960s when the post-war generation began to defy conformity and adherence to traditional norms. Dylan’s lyrics created a different way of thinking for his ravaged generation, drawing them to the streets in protest that demanded attention for change. Only Dylan didn’t want his music to be known for the reason so many took a socially unjust stance.

What comes next is Dylan taking his stance! Dylan desperately wants to switch to the new rock ‘n’ roll sound brought on by the Beatles. In defiance of his record producers, he puts down his mahogany 1949 Martin acoustic guitar with the attached harmonica and electrifies his music with a Fender Stratocaster. You will see the struggle between Dylan and his fans when he brings his electric new sound to the 1965 Newport Folk Festival and begins to sing his latest songs, including “Like A Rolling Stone”. In 2013, the controversial Newport electric set sold for $965 K.

A Complete Unknown is now streaming worldwide, with the soundtrack landing in the lap of the Gen Z generation. Dylan’s music is now trending on social media platforms like TikTok, which has teens listening to his music while dressed in Dylan attire, a tribute more gratifying than any Grammy Dylan could receive. This is a must-see show for the ages; to miss it would be to lose out on seeing one of the most consequential, treasured discoveries of songwriting and meaningful poetry from any single artist the world has ever been blessed with.

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