I’m Not There (2007)
NETFLIX SYNOPSIS: Six actors portray six personas of music legend Bob Dylan in scenes depicting various stages in the musician’s life. Chronicling Dylan’s rise from unknown folksinger to international icon, the film reveals how he reinvented himself many times. Todd Haynes directs this stylized portrait, the first biography approved by the singer-songwriter. Marcus Carl Franklin, Ben Whishaw, Heath Ledger, Christian Bale, Richard Gere and Cate Blanchett star.
REVIEW: You don’t have to be a huge Dylan fan to appreciate this film, but if you aren’t then you need to be a huge art house/indie fan. This film is very artistic. Each frame is so picturesque and packed with so much detail. I was a fan of Bob Dylan, but only really of his songwriting, and I still loved the film. I highly recommend seeing the Scorsese documentary on Dylan called “No Direction Home” first. I probably would have been lost if I had not seen the documentary first. “I’m not There” recreates a lot of the exact footage used in “No Direction Home.”
The film is definitely strange. It starts out using a black boy to portray the young Dylan and ends with Richard Gere playing a Billy-the-Kid-type character to represent the old Dylan. Not knowing that much about Dylan, my interpretation was that those two characters represent ways that Dylan saw himself, and most of those things didn’t happen. Dylan came from an upper Midwestern middle class family but still identified with poor southern black people, and he had a fascination with Billy the Kid and the old West. He was a rebellious child and a recluse as an older man, but the rest is fantasy. The other three personas seemed to be more of what the public saw and included many actual events.
As far as the acting goes, Cate Blanchette was the best and definitely deserves an Oscar nomination for best supporting actress. She had his mannerisms down pat.
“I’m Not There” is very good and worth seeing whether you are a Dylan fan or not. It’s much better viewed after seeing “No Direction Home” first. If you are not a Dylan fan, and don’t like surreal artsy films, then skip this one. If you are a fan of either or both then don’t miss it.
I give it a solid 4 stars.
Sue K H
