James Mangold portrays musical legend Bob Dylan faultlessly in his new biopic

Is there a musician more deeply ingrained into popular culture than Bob Dylan? His abstract, poetic lyrics sung out between gritted teeth are so iconic that you could probably play the first few bars of 'Like a Rolling Stone' anywhere in the world and people would recognise it. The same is true for the image of the man – frozen in time at the peak of his fame, his angular features and prominent nose jutting out from beneath a thick mop of curly hair, eyes hidden behind dark sunglasses and a cigarette held loosely between delicate fingers. This presents a challenge for filmmakers. How do you present a fictional version of Dylan onscreen without lapsing into caricature? A Complete Unknown succeeds with flying colours.

It tells the story of Dylan’s (Timothée Chalamet) meteoric ascent within America's acoustic folk scene and his subsequent controversial shift to electric. The story starts in 1961, when 20-year-old Robert Zimmerman arrives in New York City already obfuscating his past and calling himself “Bobby Dylan”. Visiting his ailing idol Woody Guthrie (Scoot McNairy) in hospital, the young musician meets Pete Seeger (Edward Norton). Seeger takes Dylan under his wing, watching on proudly as his protégé quickly establishes himself as a remarkable talent. Dylan soon moves in with his new girlfriend Sylvie Russo (Elle Fanning), based on the real-life Suze Rotolo, who influences him politically. The terror of the Cuban Missile Crisis inspires his early anti-war lyrics. At the same time, he begins a tempestuous affair with Joan Baez (Monica Barbaro).

The story then jumps to 1965. Dylan is now incredibly famous but feeling frustrated, desperate to break free from the stifling constraints of folk's dogmas. Rebellious, angry and determined to constantly reinvent himself, Dylan begins experimenting with electric guitar. This is anathema to Seeger and the proponents of trad folk. “They just want me singing 'Blowin’ in the Wind' for the rest of my goddamn life,” drawls a furious Dylan.

A Complete Unknown feels closer to a musical than a traditional biopic. Songs dominate the film, with short narrative interludes linking each one together. Thankfully, the music itself is fantastic. It’s hard to resist the urge to get up and applaud at the end of each song. Chalamet and Barbaro deliver wonderful vocal performances, perfectly capturing the spirit of Dylan and Baez. In fact, the film is packed to the rafters with brilliant performances. Norton's Seeger is powerfully affecting, especially when you witness the heartbreak as he watches his surrogate son Dylan abandoning him. Barbaro as a lively Baez, attracted to our star's obvious talent whilst seeing right through his manufactured mystique. “You’re kind of an asshole, Bob,” she archly – and accurately – observes. And Fanning as a captivating Sylvie, slowly recognising she’ll never be more than a satellite trapped in the musician's all-encompassing orbit.

Unsurprisingly, there’s already plenty of Oscar buzz generating around Chalamet and rightly so. He emotionally and physically inhabits the role of Dylan – a significant challenge for any actor, but particularly one who is already so well-known. This is wonderful entertainment, musical cinema at its absolute finest.

By Barney Pell Scholes

A Complete Unknown is out now. 20thcenturystudios.com.au/movies/a-complete-unknown