“A Complete Unknown” follows the young Bob Dylan (Timothée Chalamet) in the early 1960s on his journey from folk underdog to music icon. Dylan travels to New York and quickly finds himself at the heart of the folk scene there. Supported by Pete Seeger (Edward Norton) and inspired by Joan Baez (Monica Barbaro) and activist Sylvie Russo (Elle Fanning), Dylan celebrates his first successes. But his burgeoning stardom increasingly restricted him. In 1965, he finally caused a scandal when he performed at the Newport Folk Festival with an electric guitar, defying the expectations of the scene.

With “A Complete Unknown”, James Mangold directs a solid biopic about Bob Dylan, which is told in a more conventional way than Todd Haynes‘ experimental “I’m Not There”, but impresses with strong acting performances and intense music scenes. Timothée Chalamet in particular shines as Dylan, capturing his charisma and stage presence without fully unraveling the well kept mystery of his personality. The film’s best moments come when Mangold lets the music speak for itself, especially in the live recordings, which lend the film a raw, authentic atmosphere. (LK)