A Complete Unknown (15)

Nineteen-year-old Bob Dylan arrives in wintry 1961 New York to visit his idol, Woody Guthrie, in self-imposed convalescence with Huntington's disease at Greystone Park Psychiatric Hospital. An impromptu acoustic performance of a song that Bob has written for Woody propels his star into the ascendancy. Pete Seeger invites Bob to stay with his wife Toshi and their children until the prodigy finds his footing. An open mic at Gerdes Folk City introduces Bob to singer Joan Baez.

LondonNet Film Review

A Complete Unknown (15) Film Review from LondonNet

The tantalising air of mystery that once shrouded celebrities and made them untouchable has almost entirely evaporated thanks to voracious tabloid journalism and intrusive 24-hour social media. Eighty-four years young in 2025, singer-songwriter, painter and poet Bob Dylan remains a perplexing puzzle of his own design. As the title of director James Mangold’s handsomely composed biographical drama intimates, A Complete Unknown salutes an enigma without completely exposing the multi-faceted man behind the myth. As depicted by Mangold and co-writer Jay Cocks, Dylan ruthlessly pursues his own agenda at the expense of personal relationships and is succinctly described as “a mysterious minstrel” by his first girlfriend because he shares nothing of substance with her. Another partner angrily throws him out of a hotel room because he only covets her company as inspiration for a new song…

Timothee Chalamet is scintillating as Dylan, singing live and playing various instruments to embody a roughly hewn creative genius, who bristles at the trappings of fame and courts deafening boos at the 1965 Newport Folk Festival by daring to perform with a band playing electric guitars. He devours every frame, trashing friendships with those who aid his ascent, including Edward Norton’s awestruck mentor. As unlikable as Dylan becomes – girlfriends call him some choice names – Chalamet’s virtuoso dive into the dark waters of an unapologetic rabble rouser compels us to hold our breath too.

Nineteen-year-old Bob Dylan (Chalamet) arrives in wintry 1961 New York to visit his idol, Woody Guthrie (Scoot McNairy), in self-imposed convalescence with Huntington’s disease at Greystone Park Psychiatric Hospital. “I want to meet Woody. Maybe catch a spark,” Bob explains to Pete Seeger (Norton), who is also visiting the musician. An impromptu acoustic performance of a song that Bob has written for Woody propels his star into the ascendancy.

Pete invites Bob to stay with his wife Toshi (Eriko Hatsune) and their children until the prodigy finds his footing. An open mic at Gerdes Folk City in Manhattan’s West Village introduces Bob to singer Joan Baez (Monica Barbaro), seeding a turbulent romance that repeatedly undermines his relationship with girlfriend Sylvie (Elle Fanning). Dylan leverages his newfound celebrity to spotlight sociopolitical themes in his music and he takes to heart the words of fellow firebrand Johnny Cash (Boyd Holbrook): “Make some noise, BD. Track some mud on the carpet.”

A Complete Unknown politely tracks mud over the 1960s folk scene in which Dylan operates as a poster child and an agitator. Chalamet’s transformative, idiosyncratic performance harmonises beautifully with Fanning and Barbato as the young women frustrated by his aloofness and disregard of their needs. Early in the film, Pete counsels Bob: “A good song can get the job done without any frills.” Mangold’s picture plays a tune of artful simplicity.

– Jo Planter