A Complete Unknown (2024)★ 7.3/10

Streamed on Disney Plus, one year after watching it in a cinema. It’s just as good one year later! Even my husband, who has never heard of Timothée Chalamet, and who does not like Bob Dylan, was very impressed with the film. Acting was so great, my husband said we now have to watch The Brutalist, because we can’t understand why Chalamet did not receive the Best Actor Oscar in 2025.

The best thing is Dany Ocean playing drums

Timothée Chalamet’s performance has earned well-deserved acclaim. His singing and intimate portrayal reveal a Dylan caught between creativity and confusion, idealism and disillusionment. "A Complete Unknown" is an artistic, introspective biopic that doesn’t just recount a life—it meditates on the complexity of genius, identity, and self-invention.

One of the film’s strongest aspects is its music, which features Bob Dylan’s classics alongside era-specific tracks that vividly evoke the 1960s counterculture. The cinematography and production design are equally noteworthy, with vibrant colors and fluid camerawork enhancing its aesthetic appeal, yet the narrative falls short of capturing Dylan’s mythic allure.

More than a Bob Dylan biopic, A COMPLETE UNKNOWN captures a defining moment in his career—the transition from folk music to finding his own sound. The film explores the tension between artistic integrity and audience expectations, emphasizing that being a musician is as much a personal journey as it is about touching hearts.

Timothée Chalamet delivers an astonishing performance, not only embodying Dylan but also singing every song himself—so convincingly that it’s easy to mistake his voice for the real thing. His transformation is mesmerizing, making him disappear into the role. The portrayal of Joan Baez is equally strong, adding to the film’s authenticity. While some details are altered for dramatic purposes, the movie remains historically rich and deeply engaging. You don’t need to be a Dylan fan—or even know much about him—to enjoy it.

As someone unfamiliar with this chapter of music history, I found the story rather dragged. Bob Dylan suddenly rose to fame without really explaining why he was considered a genius, then abruptly entered his rebellious phase without clearly conveying what oppression he was rebelling against. The nearly two-and-a-half-hour runtime was mainly carried by the beautiful music and Timothée Chalamet's performance. P.S. The soundtrack is still fantastic though, and Timothée riding that motorcycle looked incredibly cool!

The film’s biggest flaw is its failure to explore the symbiotic relationship between Bob Dylan’s music and the era it defined. Instead, the historical context is reduced to a mere backdrop. That said, the movie does an excellent job showcasing Dylan’s music and succeeds in telling a story through his songs.

While the singing is decent, the plot merely strings together iconic tracks through a lackluster love triangle. The historical transitions hinted at in the backdrop feel absurdly shallow, and the character arc fail to evoke any emotional resonance.

I’m not a fan of musician biopics when they just have greatest hit after greatest hit, just showing us what happened and nothing deeper. I am so happy to report that A COMPLETE UNKNOWN is not like that. This is about the iconic enigmatic musician Bob Dylan. This starts in 1961, when Bob (Timothée Chalamet) meets his idol Woody Guthrie (Scoot McNairy), who has been hospitalized. He also forms a relationship with another folk icon, Pete Seeger (Edward Norton). The movie flows through the years of Bob’s meteoric rise to fame, expertly weaving his music through the story instead of just throwing in snippets of his best-known songs to keep the audience happy and entertained. There’s just this palpable energy while Bob sings that’s difficult to describe. I think it’s because co-writer and director James Mangold does a fantastic job with forming the 60’s environment and with each side character that gravitates into Bob’s orbit. He also does a great job showing Bob authentically, showing how an introvert handles sudden fame. Bob was in his own world, never changing who he was (and still doesn’t). The outside pressures of society tried to categorize him and put him in a box, but he didn’t fit into a mold. This movie is really good, but Chalamet’s Oscar-worthy performance brings it to another level. Both Elle Fanning and Monica Barbaro are great as the love interests. Also, Boyd Holbrook, the scene-stealer from the series JUSTIFIED and LOGAN, also steals every scene in this as Johnny Cash. It’s nominated for Best Drama, Timothy for Best Actor in a Drama, and Edward for Best Supporting Actor in a Drama. I highly recommend seeing A COMPLETE UNKNOWN on the big screen and let the amazing music flow through you!

Joan Baez es el mejor descubrimiento de que deja este film. un Bob Dylan que se relaciona totalmente con el título de su película. Un apersona que habita un no lugar, que no se termina de relacionar con ninguno de los patrones impuestos. No es un activista, no es un ser de la periferia, es un desconocido y habita la soledad de su icono.

Incluso sin conocer la trayectoria de Bob Dylan, la película transmite magistralmente la esencia de una época marcada por el misterio y el nacimiento de una leyenda. La narrativa captura a la perfección este momento de transición del anonimato al ascenso a la fama, con un excelente guion, relaciones bien desarrolladas e interpretaciones de alto nivel que enriquecen aún más la experiencia. Es una película que funciona tanto para los fans como para quienes descubren al artista por primera vez.

Mediante a dificuldade de narrar a trajetória completa dessa criatura mística que é Bob Dylan, James Mangold acerta em capturar apenas um pequeno recorte de sua vida. É tanta coisa pra contar que nem uma minissérie teria dado conta. Aos fãs de Bob é facílimo se lembrar o que vem exatamente depois que o filme acaba e é de se pensar: Ah, queria ver isto ou aquilo acontecendo. Uma vontade insaciável. Grande acerto também foi o elenco, Chamalet está tão parecido com Dylan em seus mínimos detalhes que se você embaçar um pouquinho a vista corre o risco de acreditar piamente que o mesmo está diante dos olhos. O fato dos atores tocarem de verdade e de terem levado tanto tempo estudando os músicos enriquece bastante o longa. Edward Norton está ótimo em sua sutileza e Monica Barbaro deu uma Joaz Baez encantadora (minha favorita aqui). Agora, o que o filme de fato e peca é em ser convencional demais, um formato já batido e previsível; não tem muita diferença do filme do Johnny Cash que o próprio Mangold fez lá atrás. Ter tudo já como garantido aprisiona o sentimento, não vou dizer que é um filme sem alma, pois para os já fãs de Bob Dylan ele emociona sim, mas depender dele para ter uma profunda conexão com o músico é um pouco mais difícil.