Just Like Bob Dylan Himself; You Don't Have to Understand Everything He Says to Be Spellbound.

Rating: 8/10 (30 May 2008)

'I'm Not There' is a movie that doesn't necessarily make sense, it tells the story of six different characters, everyone inspired by the life and music of American legend Bob Dylan.
Marcus Carl Franklin plays Woody Guthrie, one of Dylan's biggest influences, and portrays him as a Afro-American troubadour who travels from town to town with his guitar and words of inspiration, but it seems unaware of age and time; Ben Whishaw is Arthur Rimbaud, whose 'interview-ish' appearance speaks heavily in philosophy; Christian Bale is Jack Rollins, a successful musician who later finds Jesus and becomes a born-again preacher; Richard Gere is Billy the Kid, a resigned folk-artist who lives a quiet life in Ripple, but is soon to be disturbed by the changes of time; Heath Ledger is Robbie Clark, a handsome actor who finds love but his emotions seems unpredictable and shaken; and Cate Blanchett is Jude Quinn, a electrified hipster who won't be classified.
Six different versions of Bob Dylan is something that makes sense for any true Bob Dylan fan, Dylan is an artist who doesn't allow himself to stand still, never allowing himself to think that he's achieved something - always searching for a goal, as his career has span wildly from traditional folk to Christian-rock, from pure country to bluesy rock & roll. And although this movie quickly goes beyond it boarders, it's not expected that you'll always know what's going on, you just need to watch, because there's always compelling things happening here. Director Todd Haynes does not achieve an all-round experience, not only because this is more oddity than the average, but because the six stories are different in quality, depth and interest; Gere's Billy the Kid silent outlaw doesn't truly find his place, almost like it's a miscast - but Cate Blanchett is nothing short of breathtaking in her performance, clearly portraying the mid 60ties Dylan whose progression into electric rock was booed at by his biggest fans. Her performance surely should have anchored her an Oscar, not just for walking and talking like Dylan, but because she gets under his skin more than any of the five other; every time she's appearing on the screen the movie catches fire, just like the audience did in both disgust, anger, surprise and shock as when Dylan went electric, her/his appearance is if anything magnificent.
The troubled personal-life of Dylan seems as a difficult task, as Charlotte Gainsbourg's Claire tells him that he's changed and walks away. And Dylan changes, all of the time - and sometimes it even feels like he doesn't know himself what he's trying to get away from, but Dylan's appearance through all of the six performances, seems uninterested in looking into his own making, as it seems to surround him and lock him in instead of inspire or satisfy him. They shouted that Dylan had become an egoistical artist, an artist who's so busy with changing himself that he goes to extreme measures just to get away from everything that tries defining him may be too much for the average listener/watcher, and therefore I'm Not There' does an excellent job in capturing Dylan's chameleon-life. The absurdity, the sadness, the wisecracks, the political, the angry, the confused, the lovely and the tender; Dylan's poesy goes beyond.