A Complete Unknown – Movie Reviews by Ry!

A Complete Unknown – Acoustic Hearts of a Songwriter: How Does it Feel …  

In the passage of moments, what is it that truly defines you.  To look at it, it is a sense of seeing what our story is and how to capture it from a certain perspective.  For film, capturing is the essence of progress, but it becomes a real experience for the audience.  No matter the genre, if the passage becomes true … then there is worth in the escape.  In this review, I look at the latest biopic to hit the big screen.  Within a tale of a famous American musician, it becomes something more than is foundational cause.  With a strong lead, A Complete Unknown is an enrapturing tale that defines the meaning of a personal journey.

This is the story of an unknown talent with a guitar, Bob Dylan (Timothee Chalamet) and how his arrival in New York City change the course of music in the 1960s.  Going into any film, you hope that the tale becomes an experience worth remembering.  With this biopic, it is a tale that raises above its ‘rags to riches’ foundation, building within its thematic appeal of personal causes.  In the beginning, we meet Dylan as he encounters Pete Seager (Edward Norton) and his music hero, Woody Guthrie (Scoot McNairy).  After a wholesome conversation (and musical rendition), we head into the journey of the musician, following Dylan’s sessions in various clubs and bars in Greenwich Village in the early 1960s.  With these moments, it becomes an enrapturing visage of person and character blending into the music (of the time).  Set in the 1960s, the backdrop provides a realistic grip in the intrigue of a freelancing musician, creating an allure towards his songs and relations (throughout the film).  As Dylan begins to garner attention, his rise to fame brings an alluring factor towards his interaction with Seager, fellow companion Sylvie (Elle Fanning) and other musicians like Joan Baez (Monica Barbaro) and Johnny Cash (Boyd Holbrook).  For each of his relationships, it is leveled with familiar biopic motifs but stays true to the experience, a showcase of Dylan’s caricature and his music appeal.  Through that personal journey, we feel the rawness of general conversations and an emotional touch of the music.  Through the film’s journey, we witness who Dylan is as a person … through his words and songs.

As the journey of being a ‘popular’ musician unfolds, the tale starts to deepen, creating new conflicts for Dylan.  As the heightening popularity reaches certain points, the ideals of creative bliss and obligation levels uncertainty in personal pursuit.  Dylan begins to ‘experiment’ with other genres, causing strife that levels in that characterization of the musician.  As the ideal becomes a manner of choice, we head into a third act where the revered becomes an astute complexion of the artist.  With everything focused on Dylan’s Newport Festival performance, it leads to a heartfelt climax and a full circle epilogue.  A Complete Unknown is a biopic that raises the bar through the strength of its characters.  If you are a fan of biopics, the actors/actresses involved or Bob Dylan, this is one for you.  As I think about the experience, this is one I believe is truly … Award Worthy.

Full Score – 4.5 out of 5 (Award Worthy)