About A Complete Unknown
| Title: | A Complete Unknown |
|---|---|
| Original Title: | A Complete Unknown |
| Plot: | New York, early 1960s. Against the backdrop of a vibrant music scene and tumultuous cultural upheaval, an enigmatic 19-year-old from Minnesota arrives in the West Village with his guitar and revolutionary talent, destined to change the course of American music. |
| Cast: | Timothée Chalamet, Edward Norton, Elle Fanning, Monica Barbaro, Scoot McNairy, Dan Fogler |
| Director: | James Mangold |
| Cinematography: | Phedon Papamichael |
| Editor: | Scott Morris |
A Complete Unknown
Tatsam Mukherjee
The Wire
The Inscrutable Bob Dylan Remains As Elusive as Ever
The film examines Dylan’s emergence at a time of great political and social ferment in America.
The first time we meet Bob Dylan (Timothee Chalamet) in A Complete Unknown, he’s uncomplainingly laying in the back of a wagon amongst a pile of luggage. He’s just hitched a ride to New York City to see his hero, folk musician Woody Guthrie (Scoot McNairy), who has been hospitalised after being diagnosed with Huntington’s disease. Dylan overhears an impassioned discussion trying to determine if Guthrie is a folk or a country musician. “There’s no need to box him,” one of them says. It’s 1961 and a particularly tense period in America, as the House of Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) is summoning people for their alleged communist ties. The celebrities of Hollywood are understandably first in line, just like the musicians of the time like Pete Seeger (Edward Norton), who was critical of the American government. Social justice is becoming a street-side topic among many, as America is sinking deeper into the Vietnam War, the Civil Rights movement is picking up steam. Two years later, a president will be assassinated during a motorcade, fuelling the paranoia of the public and future governments alike.