So, one night, Michael Parkinson finds Bob Dylan at a restaurant in Sydney, dining alone like the legend he is. Mr. Parkinson did what any journalist would do, what I, being a fan, would do. He goes to Dylan’s table, leans over a little, and says “Ahem, Mr Dylan.” Unfortunately, that’s as much as he could say before the folk-turned-electric star says, “He ain’t here.”
You’d think that’s rude or something if you’re not knee-deep into Dylan. But for worshippers like me, that reply is absolutely fulfilling and I’d kill to hear him say that it ain’t him. That’s the enigma and the authenticity that tells you that he’s a person and not just an artist. It tells you there’s a mind behind that voice, honest and probably not looking to score more PR points for his upcoming tour. But you never know, do you? When we think of Dylan, we don’t really know who he is. We don’t know if he’s in an acoustic mood or in an electric one. That’s exactly what I’m Not There tells you.
It’s an unconventional biopic of Dylan; unconventional if you think from a film perspective, but not if you really think about the artist. The Guardian calls it a “cine-portrait” and that’s the film’s catch. It doesn’t show Dylan becoming a star or going about his life. Rather, it shows different sides of the legend, in all of their glory. Several actors play Dylan in this movie but none of them are called Bob Dylan. It’s as if he’s not there but all we see is him.
Hats off to all the actors who played different Dylan variants, but Cate Blanchett clearly stole the show. She plays Jude, the Dylan who chooses electric guitars over folk acoustics on the “Judas” tour in England. She looks like him, walks like him, and talks like him. She portrays Dylan in his truest form, refusing to be tied down, playing with the idea of his revamped stardom and criticism for playing an electric guitar.
It literally sent chills down my spine to see Cate Blanchett dissolve into the character and truly become someone else. I could feel that Jude Quinn was battling with his identity as much as the reporters and fans. The actress perfectly portrays the amphetamine-filled enigmatic character while maintaining the whimsy and playfulness of his personality. It all comes together with Cate Blanchett’s final scene staring into the camera as if she’s staring into your soul and somehow knows she’s the jewel of the show; just as Dylan was in this period of his life.
Cate Blanchett being the star of the show is also somewhat problematic for the movie. All of the actors, especially Cristian Bale and Heath Ledger, delivered top-notch performances. However, Cate Blanchett’s uncanny resemblance to Bob Dylan’s physique and mannerisms along with her brilliant performance in the most crucial facet of the legend somewhat overshadows the other five Dylan variants. Still, to tell Todd Haynes’ story of Bob Dylan, we needed all six of them.
