8:00 PM, 10th April, 2008
Few figures in 20th century music are more deserving of the label "enigma" than Bob Dylan. There are five main "Dylans" played firstly by a young black actor (Marcus Carl Franklin), then Bale as a folk singer who converts to Christianity, Blanchett as a star who turns his back on the songs that made him famous, Ledger as a movie star (something Dylan never was) and family man, and Gere as a cowboy. A sixth Dylan (Whishaw) also appears in faux interviews. We only meet the real Bob Dylan, lit by a spotlight and blowing into a harmonica, at the very end of the film.I'm Not There is intentionally disjointed. No effort is made to explain how these "Dylans" are connected, which is the point, I think. The film switches from black-and-white to colour at random and, to confuse things, a lot has been made-up so it is difficult to determine fact from fiction. Dylan fans will love this film for the music. For everyone else, you'll see six gifted actors challenged by playing facets of a complete man, while moving not one step closer to comprehending Bob Dylan, which is as it should be.
Tamara Lee