Opinion

By Ava Belair

     Recently, I took a visit to Phoenix Theaters in Monroe. My grandma was very insistent that we needed to see the “new Bob Dylan movie.” My grandma and I share a love for music, and I was easily convinced. From my experience of watching this film, I was pleasantly surprised by the film and can easily recommend this movie to anyone (even if they aren’t a Bob Dylan fan). 

     “A Complete Unknown,” starring Timothee Chalamet and Monica Barbaro, is a compelling, true story about American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan. Dylan has been a cultural icon for over 60 years, and has influenced many with his music. His popularity and influence has, no doubt, been unwavering throughout the decades. 

     The movie, directed by James Mangold, follows nineteen year old Dylan on his rise to fame. Many aspects of the film make it masterful, including: lighting, scenery, depiction of emotion from the actors, and especially the music. 

     At the beginning of the movie, Dylan wasn’t too far up the social ladder. We see that he is a fan of folk music and he visits fellow musician, Woody Guthery, in the hospital to play a song that he wrote for him. From the minute Timothee Chalamet’s fingers brushed the strings of his guitar, I knew that “ A Complete Unknown” would be one of my all time favorite movies. 

     Despite Bob Dylan being a character of a man, Timothee Chalamet does an incredible job at perfecting his speech, mannerisms, and aintics. From the beginning of the movie till the end, it was almost hard to recognize him. I’ll be honest, going into the movie having only seen the trailer, I thought that Chalamet’s acting wouldn’t have done Dylan and his career justice. However, now that I’ve seen the movie I can tell you the opposite. I’m not exaggerating when I say that “A Complete Unknown” might have been the best I’ve seen Timothee Chalamet act. I was gladly surprised, and I’m so relieved that I was wrong. 

     Throughout the movie, if you’re anything like me, you will find yourself confused on who you are rooting for. I don’t want to give too much away, but you will most likely fall in love with all the magnificent characters that this film has to offer. You will contradict yourself. When you think you know you stand with one character, you will find yourself defending the other.  

     A good movie can draw emotion, but a great movie will inflict civil war in your brain.