Cinema lives!

Rating: 10/10 (23 November 2007)

Cinema lives! I'm Not There is one of the most exuberant and ecstatically-made movies I've ever seen. Todd Haynes completely explodes the conventional biopic format by splitting Dylan into six separate characters and crosscutting between them until he achieves something that ends up feeling like a sublime and perfect symphony.
All of the actors do good work in nailing down some aspect of Dylan's personality but Blanchett and Ledger are standouts. The scenes between Ledger and Charlotte Gainsbourg as the Suze Rotolo/Sara Dylan composite are emotionally raw and occasionally painful to watch. Blanchett's final scene in the back of a limo, in which she extols the power of "traditional" music in a direct camera address, is deeply moving and reveals the generous heart of the film.
Technically, the film is amazing with cinematographer Ed Lachman and editor Jay Rabinowitz deserving special kudos. I've heard other movies described as "kaleidoscopic" but watching I'm Not There was the first time I've truly felt like I knew what that meant. Because each segment is shot in such a radically different style (with different color and lighting schemes), it literally feels like looking through a kaleidoscope.
The Richard Gere section, much derided in some circles, contains some of the most haunting, evocative and poetic moments of the whole film and I'm very grateful for it.
I'm Not There is a film that expands the notion of what movies can be and I will be seeing it several more times in the near future.