A Complete Unkown: it comes as a surprise they meant it, but it’s right there in the title of James Mangold’s biopic (and in a scene present in the film’s promotion): the film doesn’t really pretend to know what makes its subject, Bob Dylan, tick. Most scenes feel like just a breather as we move from one folk song to the next: they list facts (covering what may be considered the first phase of his long career), but the character remains, well, a complete unknown (even to most other characters) and the film, superficial. Smartly, the film lets his music (credibly performed by the cast) speak in place of dialogues, and his powerfully poetic lyrics are reason enough for those who enjoy his music.

The film is certainly well-cast. Timothée Chalamet has the same physical vibe as Dylan; his performance as the moody musician is fine, and his musical performance is more than fair. The same can be said of Monica Barbaro (as Joan Baez) and Edward Norton (as Pete Seeger). The film’s best performance, however, belongs to Elle Fanning, as an important girlfriend of his at the time; alas, it’s also the most overlooked since she doesn’t sing. The period recreation is solid: production designer François Audouy recreates the look of 1960s New York, and costume designer Arianne Phillips replicates the garments used by the artists. Cinematographer Phedon Papamichael’s camerawork is functional but generally unremarkable.