I'm Not There

A biography of sorts of Bob Dylan in which the role is taken on by six different actors, including both Batman and the Joker (Christian Bale and Heath Ledger), a fourteen year old black kid and Cate Blanchett. How could it have possibly been anything other than awesome?

Rather than simply portraying the events of his life in an attempt to draw out the man behind any myth, which is the more usual course of events, I'm Not There tells separate stories, with each actor taking on a separate aspect of Dylan's convoluted and eclectic public perception and private life. These interwoven tales are told in different ways, with different styles, music, colours and moods. Allegorical to varying extents, they seek to impress upon you the nature of his world and legend and not the literal events, at times almost dreamlike as symbolism becomes a major method of the story.

And it's beautiful. Truly. Each element is complex and engaging, each exquisite in it's own way. None of the actors are a logical choice to play Dylan, but each finds something fascinating within the disparate roles. I was particularly keen on Bales awkward genius, but it's quickly clear that the standout performance comes from Blanchett, who somehow manages to truly convince as the man at the height of his fame. The effect is strange but terribly compelling.

The black boy represents his early works, in which he emulated the sound of a time and culture to which he was not a native. An interestingly disheveled young man overtly plays the poet, almost narrating the films larger tale. Bale is the Dylan who enraptured the folk scene with his moving protest songs. Blanchett is the confrontational singer/songwriter who rocked an electric guitar at Newport and argued artfully with the press. Richard Gere plays Billy the Kid, aiming to express the distance the man often tried to find from his audience and Ledger in a more traditional biographical turn plays a man behind the mask, dealing with Dylan's major relationships.

If the film has a weak link, it is this Heath Ledger sections. While bringing another new and well crafted atmosphere, they don't contribute to his musical evolution and with their more traditional narrative occasionally felt out of place, unnecessary. Unfamiliar with his private life I was unsure what they were intended to represent, precisely "who" his Dylan was supposed to be. But then I suppose that's not strictly important to consciously comprehend; They added to the overall picture I was presented and have a value in that alone. I also found the films few surreal moments ill fitting, so much of it subtlety represents it's ideas, such overt signs seemed misplaced.

But these are minor quibbles in a work that is, in a word: glorious. The biographical method seems bizarre at first, but with a subject as elaborate as Dylan, it suddenly seems like the only way to do it true justice. Strange, smart and beautiful, it's brimming with good ideas, excellent performances and of course, great music.