Warning: This review is written by a rabid Bob Dylan fan.
Normally, movie assessments shouldn’t come with such warning labels, no matter how specific the target audience is, because a movie should stand on its own and deliver its purpose to those unfamiliar with the subject matter. However, in the case of I’m Not There, it’s highly necessary to ask yourself what category you belong in. Chances are, if you’re not crazy about Dylan, you’ll feel a little lost, for a good reason.
Admittedly, the film alienates the casual audience on purpose. It’s the anti-biopic: it makes no effort trying to tell you the life of Bob Dylan, or even express how great of a musician Bob Dylan is. It’s a collage of skits, music videos, and surrealism inspired by the music and the multiple personalities Dylan has embodied over the years. Since the film has no particular story to tell or even a linear path to follow, it’s just a series of seemingly unrelated characters not even interacting. You have to be a Dylan fan to even make sense of the jumble, as you begin to piece together bits of dialogue lifted from Dylan’s lyrics, or certain events that references an aspect of Dylan’s life. Only in this film would you see symbolisms and metaphors being used to describe a section of a celebrity’s life rather than themes or ideas.
Now if you still want to see the film, read on.
For Dylan fans, I’m Not There is a rewarding experience, because it is a celebration of Dylan’s life and accomplishments. Even better is how Todd Haynes interprets Dylan’s inner thoughts with unique situations. Of course, it would be glib for him to put words in Dylan’s mouth, and that’s why all six actors playing “Dylan” in the film are given different names.
Richard Gere plays an aging Billy the Kid, hiding in an off-radar town from his nemesis Pat Garrett. When the town faces destruction, Billy has to confront his old enemy again in order to speak for the townsfolk. Bob Dylan has always been known to reject the titles given to him by fans and critics, especially when called the voice of a generation. He notoriously moved away from protest songs—as portrayed succinctly in I’m Not There by the image of Cate Blanchette’s Rock-n-Roll Dylan shooting a machine gun to a folk audience—However, he resurfaces from time-to-time when he feels the need to (note his return to protest songs with “Hurricane”). A normal biopic would visualize Dylan’s dilemma as an overwrought scene showing a frustrated star. Here, it’s the climax of a post-modern Western.
With any other artist, casting multiple actors to play the role would be gimmicky. With Bob Dylan, it’s almost necessary, as the real person had undergone several drastic changes in image and personality. One of the most remarkable things about I’m Not There is that each actor plays a radically different character from the next, yet they all vaguely remind you of Dylan. The closest impersonation is Christian Bale’s, who’s the only one of the six actors to play two versions of Dylan. Why is this? Well, I’ve always found it curious how Dylan’s fans called him a preacher and a messiah when he was doing folk songs, but turned their backs on him when he went Christian and actually started preaching in gospel songs. Todd Haynes obviously saw the same relationship, and found it interesting enough to compare with Bale as both sides of the coin.
I might be jumping the gun earlier when I said that this is a movie strictly for Bob Dylan fans. While that is mostly true, there is something to admire in the film’s craftsmanship, to those who don’t mind grasping in the dark. Leaving behind all that mess about who Dylan is and what the film does justice to, Haynes’ visuals are mesmerizing, bold and energetic—complimented, of course, by a choice selection of the finest music from the 20th century. Here’s one movie soundtrack that guarantees a masterpiece on every track. Though some of the song choices are too obvious (Heath Ledger’s character makes love to the tune of “I Want You”), they still seem like a perfect fit, as if the songs were written for those scenes, which I suppose is the highest compliment one can give to Haynes’ cinematography. Do you want a challenge? Try watching this movie as a civil theatergoer and resist the urge to tap your feet, bob your head or sing along every five minutes.
I can safely say that when I’m Not There comes out on DVD, on release day it will already be sitting on my shelf, next to Don’t Look Back and No Direction Home.
"I'm Not There" opens November 21, 2007 and is rated . Biopic, Drama. Directed by Todd Haynes. Written by Oren Moverman, Todd Haynes. Starring Cate Blanchett, Christian Bale, David Cross, Heath Ledger, Julianne Moore, Richard Gere.
