A fascinating pastiche of mixed feelings, emotions and identities

Rating: 8/10 (30 January 2008)

Just as Julie Taymor's musical Across the Universe attempted (and for the most part succeeded) in existing as an embodiment, a spiritual extension of the Beatles songs it features, I'm Not There exists as a startling and beautiful combination of two artists, two artistic branches. The film serves as a spiritual embodiment of the folksy, traditional sound combined with the new-wave, idealistic, poetic, psychedelic lyrics of Dylan's music. Combining the bizarre with the poetic with the beautiful with the traditional, the film manages to paint a portrait of Dylan beyond a simple depiction of his life and the various events that fill it, although the film does an incredibly well and imaginative job of doing that as well.
In another move channeling the spirit of Bob Dylan, Haynes splits up his subject into six characters, each embodying a different aspect of the singer-songwriter or, in some cases, a different period in Dylan's career. It is a wonderfully imaginative gimmick previously employed by none other than Todd Solondz in his film Palindromes, that works outstandingly well to serve Haynes' purpose.
Uncharacteristic of pure independent film (a movement to which I'm Not There undeniably belongs, having not been produced by a studio specialty division such as Focus Features or Paramount Vantage but rather truly independently produced), Hanyes is blessed with an all-star cast, so much so that some of them seem underused, such as Julianne Moore. Christian Bale delivers a startling restrained performance as a closed, reclusive version of Dylan, expertly done and surprising considering his knack for showmanship in most of his previous roles. Richard Gere delivers a similarly restrained, laid-back performance. Newcomer Marcus Carl Franklin does a surprisingly poignant, life-filled and energetic job as the young blues player with wisdom far beyond his years. But the film's two centerpiece performances are also its most prominently featured. Cate Blanchett does an absolutely, indescribably phenomenal job and delivers what is by far the best performance of the film. The incredible bravery and novelty of a female actress playing a male character in a non-comedic film aside, Blanchett does an uncanny job reminiscent of her Oscar-winning role as Katherine Hepburn, by effortlessly combining imitation with deep, resonant, revealing characterization. Blanchett doesn't miss a quirk, capturing Dylan's look, mannerisms and speech spot-on, while also managing to allow the true inner soul of her character seep out  the emptiness, the loneliness, the hopelessness. Heath Ledger delivers a similarly affecting, masterful performance as a Dylan strident in is values and weighed down by his fame at one end and family life at the other. It is a role that further increases the tragedy of Ledger's recent death, directly continuing his momentous tendency of increasingly complex, challenging and ultimately fulfilling and skillful performances since his amazing turn in Brokeback Mountain. It is so sad for the life of such a promising young actor whose talent was only just starting to bloom to be cut off so suddenly and under such tragic circumstances. His passing was quite a shame.
In the spirit of true independent film, Haynes conducts a fascinating experiment with I'm Not There, creating a pastiche of mixed feelings, emotions and identities. Creating a unique musician biography picture by splitting his subject into 6 separate characters and not mentioning his name once, Haynes goes even further and has his film feature a wondrous combination of art forms, coexisting with Dylan's work and functioning as a truly imaginative amalgamation of music and film. Sometimes it may seem that Haynes' experimenting goes a little too far, and it is easy for me to see how the film would confuse the average moviegoer not familiar with Dylan's life and work. Featuring everything from sped-up psychedelic binges to feral dreams and visions to wild animals literally walking the streets, it is an undeniably bizarre piece of work, with some of its events and twists entirely devoid of a logical explanation whatsoever  although perhaps this is yet another aspect of Dylan integrated into the film. Vividly stylized and beautifully shot, the all-star cast also works to the film's advantage and provides it with yet another layer of interest. And of course, what's a musical bio-pic without the music; accompanied by a wide array of Bob Dylan's songs, from all his different periods and performed by various artists including prominently, and naturally, Dylan himself, the music provides the final element of the film's ultimate goal to embody, personify, and channel the spirit of Bob Dylan. While it may not always work, for the most it is a wonderfully imaginative, strikingly visual, unique and surprisingly epic piece of independent film, sealing Hayne's place as a truly visionary directorial force whose work should be reckoned with.