A Complete Unknown is a prelude into Bob Dylan's (Timothée Chalamet) career and it begins when Dylan arrives in New York City to visit his folk music hero Woody Guthrie (Scoot McNairy), an American singer-songwriter and composer, who is hospitalized at Greystone Park Psychiatric Hospital due to a neurodegenerative disease that left him mobility impaired. Woody is notably known for the song This Land Is Your Land, which we see Pete Seeger (Edward Norton) playing this song during his court trial - for contempt of Congress, which was overturned on a technicality. The song has some deep fascinating history, and Norton did it some justice with his remarkable singing. Later in the movie, Norton sings The Lion Sleeps Tonight while playing the banjo, which was pure enjoyment.
The film also depicts how Pete Seeger is captivated by Bob Dylan's talent and his easygoing personality that he decides to promote his music career. Like your typical musician, Dylan finds himself caught in a love triangle with Sylvie Russo (Elle Fanning) - the one that encourages his song writing and supports him financially, and Joan Baez (Monica Barbaro) - the one that introduces Dylan to her audience and boosts his music career. Monica Barbaro's singing was beyond impressive and heavenly. She hit those high notes so delicately and precise.
Huge praise to Director and Writer James Mangold in successfully illustrating Bob Dylan's journey in becoming one of the greatest songwriters of all time. James Mangold, known for Walk the Line, included Johnny Cash (Boyd Holbrook) as Dylan's motivation for not becoming a novelty act and encouraged him to make a statement and bring out his rebel side regarding change - Civil Rights Movements, which can be heard throughout the lyrics in the songs, The Times They Are a-Changin' and Like a Rolling Stone - where he performed it at the Newport Folk Festival with an electric musical instruments, and history was made.
Timothée Chalamet certainly had some big shoes to fill taking on the challenge of portraying the young enigmatic Bob Dylan. Chalamet truly stuns the audience radiating that Bob Dylan 60s folk rock vibe with the symbolic harmonica and those fashion iconic sunglasses. A Complete Unknown will leave you wanting an encore.
