I'm Not There

"I'm Not There" presents six entirely different actors portraying Bob Dylan during six distinct phases of his career, emphasizing his ability to reinvent himself over the years. Todd Hayne’s singular take on biopic is perhaps one of the closest to my taste. Instead of merely narrating the life of the character in question, Todd Haynes assigns a different name to each of Dylan's seven incarnations, reimagining the facts with the sole purpose of capturing the essence of the man and the environment in which he lived, free from the constraints of a straightforward chronology. However, despite the excellent direction and the variety in the mise en scene, I found the big picture a bit inconclusive and dull on the long run. Perhaps it's because I've never really cared much about Bob Dylan, or maybe because it felt a little like homework in comparison with “Velvet Goldmine”.

I'm not a fan of Bob Dylan until I see anything about him--like Rolling Thunder Review or this movie. The idea of combining different actors, styles and stories to portray the various facets of a complex man's personalities is brilliant, and brilliantly presented here. (Only they should've featured Antony and the Johnsons gorgeous cover of "Knocking on Heaven's Door", rather than hiding it at the end of the credits.)