Sin #9: The Master of Folk

Most musical biopics focus on the tortured lives of their performers by following a predictable formula that involves self-destructive drug use, loyal women and rousing musical numbers. We can see that template in movies like “Ray”, “Walk the Line” or “Control, and even though they’re not particularly bad movies (especially “Control”) they all play it safe.

There is a film however, that does something radically different. It basically redefines the possibility of the biopic by introducing several realities that act as layers to the life of the artist. The movie is “I’m Not There” and the artist is Bob Dylan.

To begin with, Dylan has always been somewhat of a mystery. It is said that his biggest contribution was basically taking the music of Woody Guthrie and feeding it through his strange, enigmatic personality. Martin Scorsese’s documentary “No Direction Home” brilliantly chronicled his early days as a folk hero all the way through his rock years (in which some fans felt betrayed by his new sound).

What Todd Haynes has done with “I’m Not There” is establish that there is not just one Dylan; there’s Dylan the ego maniac, Dylan the poet, Dylan the actor, even Dylan the cowboy. By hiring several actors to play all these Dylans he has made a movie like no other, a fascinating meta-reality that doesn’t try to explain the man but instead suggests that Dylan is made mostly by the perception of his spectators, critics and fans.

The first time I saw “I’m Not There” I became a little frustrated at some scenes, especially the ones featuring Richard Gere in the Old West. I gazed at the screen searching for some kind of meaning. After reading about Dylan’s history and watching his documentary I realized that it was meant to represent a little of the absurdness in the artist (how he saw himself as a people’s trovadour and fantasized about the West).

It seems the movie was made for people with knowledge of Dylan; outsiders may feel confused (even though they will probably admire the picture in an aesthetic level). After several viewings I realized how powerful and meaningful the movie was and that not only did it capture the essence of the singer but also of the era. As a surreal mosaic it’s rather wonderful.