Greetings,
Have you ever seen a trailer and thought, "That movie looks interesting...and confusing". I have, several times, and I used to let that deter me from seeing the film. Fortunately, I started to take some chances and see movies that I would not have otherwise, and it led me to some really amazing cinema. Such was the case with what I'll be talking about today, I'm Not There.
I'm Not There is a 2007 film that kinda sorta tells the story of Bob Dylan through his music and by way of six different characters that represent different aspects of his personality and/or life. And - surprise! - it is told in a nonlinear fashion, because, of course it is. Confused yet? Good. It doesn't even matter. See, as I mentioned before, some films that seem confusing are actually quite easy to follow. This is one of them. But let me give a quick synopsis of those six characters, the actors that portray them and what they do. Ready? Okay.
First, we have Arthur Rimbaud played by Ben Whishaw. His scenes consist of him participating in something of an interrogation where he gives what I would call very poetic answers. A lot Dylan's quotes from interviews were used for this part. Second, there's Woody Guthrie (not his real name) played by Marcus Carl Franklin. He's an 11-year-old boy who is basically a drifter obsessed with, you guessed it, Woody Guthrie, as was Dylan in his youth. Then, we have Jack Rollins/Father John played by Christian Bale. Now, even though he has two different names, he is still only one person. I think. Look, I just don't want to be wrong about saying there are only six characters. Anywho, he represents Dylan both during his time as a folk singer and also his time after becoming a born again Christian. And, yes, it was super awesome seeing Christian Bale as a preacher. Next, we have Robbie Clark played by Heath Ledger. His character is an actor who portrays the aforementioned Jack Rollins. This part also tells the story of him and his wife and their tumultuous relationship, which parallels the marriage of Dylan and his first wife, Sara. (Blood on the Tracks, baby! Sorry.) After that, there's Jude Quinn played by Cate Blanchett. Yes, she's a woman playing a man, and, contrary to some other actors playing the opposite gender and my totally not buying it, she was rather brilliant here. Brilliant enough to be robbed of the Oscar, but what do I know? Anyway, Jude Quinn is Dylan as he makes his way into playing electric and therefore, alienated his "fans". I say "fans" because, if you truly admire an artist, you will let them grow. Finally, we have a character known as Billy the Kid played by Richard Gere. This is a reference to when Dylan had a role in Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid. I also heard this theory that it might be referring to when Dylan kind of ran away to do the Basement Tapes, but who knows? And that is the basic layout for the movie. Sorry if I was long-winded.
Now, of course, these six actors are the foundation, but they had much help in filling out the whole thing. And they got some great people to support them. We get Bruce Greenwood, David Cross, Kris Kristofferson, and the late, great Ritchie Havens. Even people of whom I am not a fan were kind of okay in this, like Michelle Williams, Charlotte Gainsbourg and Julianne Moore. Yeah, I just conceded on that. I told you I can be honest, no matter how painful it is.
Bottom line, this is a very well put together film. And I think all things considered, with the structure and all, it could have been a hot mess in less capable hands. But, thankfully, it just ended up being thought-provoking and interesting. Now, you may be wondering if Bob Dylan fans will love this or hate this. Of course, it could go either way. Things like this usually do. But speaking as an admirer of his myself, I believe that this was a very creative and artistic way to explore all the facets of his life and career. And at no time did I feel like it was being disrespectful to him at all. That would be a major plus.
So, I say if you do love Bob Dylan, check out I'm Not There, if you haven't already. Actually, if you've never known much about him and are interested, I recommend it even more. Even though it's technically a fictional account of his life, it might intrigue you to know more. I mean, I already knew a lot and it even did that for me. That is not easy to do. Congrats, movie.
Love and full moons,
Becky the Writer
