I'm Not There- A Gorgeous Exploration of Bob Dylan's Complex Life





Biopic’s are an interesting genre in film, a lot of them seem to feel overly romanticised and simplified as a biopic's narrative is something that requires heavy manipulation. However, Haynes’ unconventional film based on the “lives of Bob Dylan” proves to be an interesting exploration and take on the biopic form, choosing to explore the ideas behind the man of Bob Dylan. It is a tough film to look at objectively because it’s a film full of ideas, based on themes and stories that require a lot of knowledge about Dylan. Personally, I adored this films ambition and commitment to telling its story in a unique way, creating an emotional and heightened look into ideas of fame and creativity. There are six separate actors who play versions of Dylan with an interesting structure where there is a progression from each actor to actor, yet when necessary we flip back to certain moments and characters to illustrate a thematic point, this results in a beautiful yet confusing journey through the mind of Dylan.

The obvious standout performance is a formidable interpretation from Cate Blanchett who plays the period of time after Dylan moved away from folk and began life as a rock star. She is remarkable in the role, she plays this fluid and frustrated character who wanders through her life of fame barely holding on to the past. Blanchett is an established fantastic actor and I think this may be her greatest performance yet, she strikes a chord with the audience like no other actor can in this film. Her segment is by far the stand-out, it is also the clearest character arc and story, Haynes dedicates the most time to this portion which makes it the most effective by far. Ben Wishaw explores the literate and intellectual portion of Dylan’s life, with a monologue that is revisited and shown intermittently throughout the film to punctuate specific moments, it works exceptionally well for such a simple and concise concept.

A lot of people have criticised the film for being unfocused and misguided, praising Blanchett’s interpretation and wanting a film based entirely from that interpretation. But Haynes isn’t telling you the story of Dylan’s life, he is exploring how complex and controversial the man is, how life can develop and change a person and especially someone in the public eye. That’s what the rest of the segments explore, though not as successful and impactful as Blanchett or Wishaw, they pursue some wonderfully interesting concepts and forms. Christian Bale and Heath Ledger’s interpretation work hand in hand as Bale’s Folk singing character and Ledger’s enigmatic actor and celebrity portrayal tell parallel stories of fame. This is my least favourite portion of the film as its paced much more inconsistent than the others, it is also the hardest to decipher and relate to the film as a whole. Ironically this is due to Bale’s segment being filmed as a mockumentary which is a nice meta segment but doesn’t have the emotional and thematic exploration that fits with the rest. Ledger’s portion may be too ambitious for this film, it is slightly too unclear for its own good and once again doesn’t quite fit. The performances are still great, Ledger in particular and the writing is superbly structured, but it is definitely the weakest part.

The most interesting parts of the film are Richard Gere and Marcus Carl Franklin’s toned-down western style book-ends to the film. They once again work together surprisingly well, as the ideas of loneliness are a part of Dylan’s life that is often ignored. The two actors pull off surprisingly realised performances, Franklin is great as this lonely ambitious child whose storyline is short and enigmatic but puts across a thought-provoking perspective. Gere finishes the films themes in his segment which is a homage to classic western films, this part feels the most dream-like of the whole film. Elements seem confused, surreal and unexplained but all from a grounded portrayal by Richard Gere, he feels like not a part that fits in with this world which is through fantastic direction.