I'm Not There Reviews

I find it really difficult to judge this movie. Indeed, I thought it was pretty good, probably the most original biopic I have ever seen but, honestly, I thought the whole thing was a little too damned alienating. Back then, when I was a kid, my dad would listen very often to Bob Dylan so I have some very fond memories of his music but,I must admit it, I was and still am rather oblivious about his music and the guy himself. Of course, I have heard about his sudden sometime even bizarre 'transformations' but not much more than that I'm afraid and I think it is imperative to really know the man and the songs to fully appreciate this movie (I really wonder what my father would think of this movie but I'm pretty sure he wouldn't care for it). Actually, this flick reminded me of two other movies I saw recently. The first one is 'Accross the universe' which was another interesting experiment, making a movie using the songs of the Beattles. The other movie is 'Cloud Atlas' in the way that it intermingled various stories with different timelines, constantly switching back and forth between the stories and with a very thin connection between those tales. Personally, I thought it was better than 'Accross...' because the story was more intriguing and the experiment was much bolder whereas 'Accross...' was just a standard musical. However, I did prefer 'Cloud Atlas' because, even though it took me a while, I was eventually able to connect with the whole thing whereas it never happened here and some bits, especially the one starring Richard Gere, were just way too obscure for me. Still, the directing was really good, there was a great cast involved and it remains a very original feature. To conclude, even though it is definitely an acquired taste, I thought it was pretty good and it is definitely worth a look, especially if you are interested in experimental movies.

''Yeah it's chaos, it's clocks, it's watermelons, it's everything.''

Ruminations on the life of Bob Dylan, where six characters embody a different aspect of the musician's life and work.

Cate Blanchett: Jude

Director & Writer Todd Haynes has created a biopic so unique and so diverse, that it's predictably going to be attacked for not reaching the everyday standards of the everyday genres of film, with standard storytelling methods applied. Haynes never once shys away from what he is striving to accomplish: change, chaos, ambiguity. This film is soul and embodiment of Bob Dylan. The themes, settings, look, pacing, characters, chaos, ambiguity, contradictions, and for the fact that this never once tries to explain who Dylan is or why he is the way he was is, so fitting it's hard to imagine a biopic on Dylan done any differently. This is a bold film done in a fresh and unique way. This isn't the usual predictable Walk The Line or standard by the book Ray type singer-biopic(Which are brilliant in their own way) where you have one great performance surrounded by the life and times, the highs and lows, and then the conquering of life's obstacles.
I'm Not There on the other hand, baffles, confuses, lies, contradicts, and makes you question everything, tipping your world upside down. We never know where we're going, who we're going to meet, or what time and person we'll end up with. Haynes doesn't have one person recreate Dylan as Dylan was. He relies on six actors and an actress to play parts of the mysterious man, that we know as Dylan.

Haynes style is breath taking, the music a vessel of transport for our minds into this mind of faceted greatness, the acting is unrivaled, from every star in the film with award worthy performances everywhere, the cinematography was excellent, the writing superior to most of this decade and the editing was unsurpassed surrealness. We never once feel we're at one place with one character for too long, or we jump into one life unexpectedly where it feels forced. Gere's part seems left wing and it completely is, but when we're there, we learn just as much about Dylan than we have with every other character. Blanchett, Ledger, and Bale are the three standouts. Blanchett will get most of the praise because she embodies Dylan's psychedelic, far out trips, flamboyant behavior, and his eagerness to rebel, question, and change. Ledger gives one of his best last performances, during a marriage that is falling apart due to infidelity and long lasting time away, as he plays Robbie Clark, a young, up and coming actor. Christian Bale plays Jack Rollins. When Rollins pops up it's through a documentary like form. We're watching a movie within a movie about one of the characters. Not only is that unique, but Robbie Clark (Heath Ledger) plays Jack Rollins in a movie called "Grain of Sand." During the in-movie documentary on the life of Jack Rollins we learn about his past experiences and how he came to become an evangelical preacher. All three actors have the most intriguing parts of the film that just suck you in and stay with you long after you see them. Blanchett deserved the Oscar Nomination for Best Supporting Actress. She's fantastic and gives one of her best performances as she's quickly building a resume that most actresses can't touch, but Bale and Ledger are both equally impressive.

The intertwining stories are done so well and stay so true to the man that Dylan was makes I'm Not There one of the best films of the year. The constantly changing themes, looks and colours of the film embody Dylan's appearances to perfection. The six characters embody Dylan's schizophrenic like changing of personalities. The historical backdrops used in the film are important and relevant to the times and characters as they add depth and perception to the character's lives. Todd Haynes has created a work that should only get better and more revered as time goes by because we just don't come across films such as this in any time period. Haynes has created a piece to be proud of and a faceted jewel, that even Dylan would be proud of.

'I'm Not There' is a poetic but less than revealing biopic. You don't need to be fanatical about Bob Dylan to like this film, It doesn't tell anything the average fan doesn't know already. The hook is in the stylistic, innovative way this biopic is executed, and how the actors capture the various cells of this musicians life. I kinda wanted to dismiss the film early on but it hooked me before I could shrug it off as profound mundanity. Haynes turns the biopic on it's head as if it's written by the subject himself, as if each of the six cells are Dylan's own fantastical view of himself. It doesn't always work, sometimes it feels just too odd and quirky for its own good, but regardless of this you just can't help but love it. Stand-out's, for me were Cate Blanchett as folk-gone-rock traitor Bob and one I totally unexpected from thirteen-year-old Marcus Carl Franklin, the kid really done got the blues. Dylan has always said there is no point to his music 'It Just Is', the same goes for Haynes film. He has created a new genre with I'm Not There... long live the bioddity!