By Katie Potzick
“I’m Not There” is a music biopic of 60s legend Bob Dylan. The film follows Dylan through various stages of his life played by five different actors; Heath Ledger, Marcus Carl Franklin, Ben Wishaw, Richard Gere, Christian Bale and actress Cate Blanchett.The movie is a lyrical blending of fact with fiction, whose main focus is expressing the essence and eccentricities of Dylan with his chameleon like personality. Director Todd Haynes said, “To try and sum up Dylan is missing the point. His records and music defy that premise.” “I’m Not There” starts in 1966 with Dylan’s motorcycle wreck and then moves through his life highlighting his different famous personas. Haynes said he chose to start the movie with the crash because, “Dylan reached a creative point of danger that peaked with the crash. It forced a major reassessment of, and radical shift in, his personal and creative life.” The first Dylan, played by black actor Marcus Carl Franklin, shows his love and desire to be Woody Guthrie. This diversion from the truth is only the beginning of taking a creative license with the singer’s history. The rest of the singer’s life stages consist of lady’s man Dylan (Ledger), folk singer and evangelist Dylan (Bale), rebellious poet Dylan (Wishaw), western outlaw Dylan (Gere) and androgynous rock star Dylan (Blanchett). “I’m Not There,” boasts an amazing cast. Haynes described this movie experience as, “A terrifying, thrilling process. Working with this collection of actors is one of the most rewarding experiences I’ve ever had. They poured themselves into the roles.”Ultimately the movie sparks the audience’s imagination with the question, who is Bob Dylan? In the words of Dylan, himself, “All I can be is me, whoever that is.” In the end, “I’m Not There” offers an entertaining and fascinating look at one of America’s most mysterious and legendary rock icons.
