"I accept chaos. I don't know whether it accepts me."

Rating: 8/10 (24 January 2008)

Ask me a question about Bob Dylan. Whatever you just asked, I got it wrong, such is my knowledge of the man and his music. In preparation for Todd Haynes' latest film, a wildly unconventional "biopic" of the iconic singer-songwriter, I briefly listened to a few extant Dylan tracks on my computer, including "Ballad of a Thin Man" and "Like A Rolling Stone," as if these few brief snippets could offer me any genuine insight into the man behind the music. Nevertheless, I entered the film almost completely blind, unfamiliar with both the artistry of Bob Dylan and director Todd Haynes {from whom this was my first film}. Daring, baffling, infuriating, unique, artistic, brilliant 'I'm Not There (2007)' is all of these things; a wonderful piece of cinema from a bold and challenging director. In an attempt to understand the many facets of Dylan's personality, music and legacy, the film takes the peculiar path of representing the singer through six different characters, portrayed by actors of differing age, race and, indeed, gender; each separate personality charts just one distinct aspect of his persona.
When I first heard that Cate Blanchett would be portraying one of the Dylan-based characters, I considered it nothing more than a publicity-minded gimmick. A gimmick it certainly is, but Blanchett, beyond all belief, makes it work flawlessly, swiftly disappearing into the guise of Jude Quinn, a 1960s version of Dylan at the height of his fame, at a time when much of his original fan-base was rejecting him as a "sell-out"  most assuredly, a Best Supporting Actress win is in the bag at the approaching Academy Awards. The second finest performance, oddly enough, comes from young African-American actor Marcus Carl Franklin, who plays a talented eleven-year-old juvenile delinquent going by the name of Woody Guthrie {who, I was to discover, was one of Dylan's primary inspirations}. Also solid in their respective Dylan incarnations are Ben Whishaw, Richard Gere and Heath Ledger {the latter being rather difficult to watch considering his unfortunate death just one day earlier}. Christian Bale, a favourite actor of mine, is, regrettably, given very little to do. Though there's nothing inherently wrong with his performance, the "mockumentary" format of his segment allows very little room with which to display his talents.
What ultimately makes 'I'm Not There' such a delight, is that the film, quite deliberately, exists as a rather cluttered amalgamation of conflicting visual styles. The sequences with Franklin and Gere, for example, are exquisitely captured in vibrant colour, seeming to exist almost in a fantasy world. Ledger's scenes take place more-or-less in the real world, his character's family and marital problems unfolding amid dull surroundings and subdued colours. Bale's sequences, shot on 16mm colour stock, successfully evoke the feel of a typical biographical documentary, complete with an interview from former girlfriend Alice Fabian (Julianne Moore)  apparently representative of real-life folk singer Joan Baez, with whom Dylan had a well-publicised relationship. While Whishaw's brief Dylan sequences are captured with scratchy, grainy black-and-white film stock, Blanchett's segments are smooth and crisp. Steeped in surrealism, and very reminiscent of Federico Fellini's '8½ (1962),' the Jude Quinn sequences feature some of the film's most engrossing moments, particularly the brooding, fantastical performance of "Ballad of a Thin Man" {from the 1965 album, 'Highway 61 Revisited'}.
It goes without saying that a terrific soundtrack supplements the events on the screen, and, though perhaps running a few minutes too long, the film generally keeps a consistent pace. If Haynes' film is to be believed, then Bob Dylan was, and is, certainly an enigma, a personality whose motivations and inspirations may forever remain elusive. 'I'm Not There' certainly doesn't attempt to answer any of the begging questions about Dylan's life, and, indeed, through its convoluted narrative structure, Haynes seems to be contending that it's pointless to even try. Nevertheless, the film is a rewarding experience on many levels, the least of which being the pleasure of witnessing a motion picture unlike any other you're likely to see this year. If somebody like myself can admire and enjoy 'I'm Not There,' then this is proof that the film is certainly not just for Bob Dylan enthusiasts. However, if, like me, you didn't already know that the film's title was also the name of one of Dylan's unreleased tracks, then you might need to tread with caution.