What is A Complete Unknown about?
A Complete Unknown traces the beginnings of the mercurial, radical and path-breaking artist, Bob Dylan. The film takes place in early-1960s New York when the city was a hotbed of exciting cultural change. Bold changes to the American music scene were stemming from the city's Greenwich Village district, spearheaded by a multitude of folk musicians and experimental individuals.
The film explores Dylan's early success on the folk scene and the controversy that erupted when he made the pivotal shift to electric music at the 1965 Newport Folk Festival. It was a decision that had a profound impact on Dylan's life and the course of popular American music.
Is A Complete Unknown based on a book?
A Complete Unknown is based on the 2015 book Dylan Goes Electric! by Elijah Wald. It's adapted by Gangs of New York writer Jay Cocks. Wald says of Dylan (via The Guardian): "Dylan never signed up to be the voice of a generation and it reached an absolutely insane level very quickly. There was a crazy cover of Esquire magazine that put him together with Fidel Castro, John F Kennedy and Malcolm X – there was no way to predict that a pop star would ever be put in that position. And let’s not forget that two of those people had been shot. Baez certainly felt he was intensely scared by crowds grabbing at him, but it was a genuinely scary time.”
Who stars in A Complete Unknown?
Dune star Timothée Chalamet portrays the young Dylan on the cusp of a world-changing career. Elle Fanning (Maleficent) portrays Sylvie Russo, a stand-in for Dylan's first girlfriend Suze Rotolo and one of the key influences on Dylan's early life. Monica Barbaro (Top Gun: Maverick) plays the noted folk singer Joan Baez who crossed paths with Dylan in early-sixties New York and Oscar nominee Edward Norton plays singer-songwriter Pete Seeger, a pop culture phenomenon who dominated the American music scene from the 1940s to the 1960s.
Does Timothée Chalamet do his own singing in A Complete Unknown?
Yes, Chalamet's vocals are used in A Complete Unknown. The talented actor has a background in song and dance and cavorted his way through the blockbusting Roald Dahl-centric family adventure Wonka (2023), in which he played the titular Willy Wonka. A Complete Unknown is a completely different prospect, however, forcing the actor to assimilate the nuances and cadences of one of the world's most celebrated musicians.
Chalamet is said to have spent five years preparing for the role (it's amusing to think of him jamming away on the futuristic sets of the two Dune epics), and he ultimately performs 40 Bob Dylan songs for the movie. Chalamet says (via Variety): "It was important for me to sing and play live. Because if I can actually do it, why should there be an element of artifice here? And I’m proud that we took that leap."
Find out more about Chalamet's exhaustive process and authentic performance in the following video.
Who directs A Complete Unknown?
James Mangold directs a Complete Unknown. He's a veteran of the music biopic genre, having steered the Johnny Cash movie Walk the Line to success in 2005. The film starred Joaquin Phoenix as the titular Man in Black and Reese Witherspoon in an Oscar-winning role as Cash's wife, June Carter.
Mangold says he was drawn to the arc of Bob Dylan's early career, telling MOJO: "The idea of this 19-year-old with a few dollars in his pocket arriving in New York to meet his dying hero Woody Guthrie, having written a song for him, and through that meeting Pete Seeger, and finding his way into clubs in New York, and within two years ascending to a point of taking over the entire folk movement… that was really interesting to me as a fable.”
Mangold tells The Guardian that Chalamet was perfect for the role of Bob Dylan because the actor is “thin and wiry and mercurial and super smart and restless and he’s also a really f*****g good actor”. Of the film playing fast and loose with the facts (a classic biopic trait), Mangold says: "People no longer trust information, but at least metaphor, emotion and imagination may still have a way, since it exists in a place that already is known to be not exactly factual. You don’t even have to shine that light on it, you can just feel it – and someone can be changed by what they feel.”
What was Bob Dylan's reaction to A Complete Unknown?
The enigmatic Dylan has mostly kept his cards close to his chest, but he's said to have praised the script and Timothée Chalamet during a 2023 read-through. In December 2024, Dylan posted his thoughts on social media, saying: "Timmy's a brilliant actor so I'm sure he's going to be completely believable as me. Or a younger me. Or some other me."
Is A Complete Unknown going to win at the Oscars?
Chalamet has received unanimous praise for his performance and is being positioned as a frontrunner for the Best Actor Oscar. He was Golden Globe-nominated for Best Actor - Drama but lost out to Adrien Brody for The Brutalist, which has somewhat evened out the playing field. It remains to be seen if the movie will score in the other 'top line' Oscars categories of Best Picture, Best Director, Best Screenplay and Best Supporting Actor/Actress.
Website Gold Derby ranks A Complete Unknown's odds of scoring a Best Picture nomination as 11/1, and Chalamet's odds of a Best Actor nod as 4/1. (Brody is currently at 17/5.) Elle Fanning and Monica Barbaro have been acclaimed for their supporting roles so there's a strong chance that one or both of them could land a nod. Barbaro's odds of being nominated for Best Supporting Actress are ranked at 16/1 by Gold Derby, which is some way behind the likes of Felicity Jones for The Brutalist (7/1) and Margaret Qualley for The Substance (15/2).
The Oscar nominations are announced on January 19th so return to this post for updates as they come in.
What is the age rating for A Complete Unknown?
A Complete Unknown is rated 15 by the BBFC for 'strong language'.
When is A Complete Unknown released in the UK?
A Complete Unknown is released on January 17th.
Where can we book tickets for A Complete Unknown?
Book your tickets for A Complete Unknown via the following link.
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