A Complete Unknown - Bealtaine Screening

It would take an epic saga to do justice to the long, storied career of cultural icon Bob Dylan.

James Mangold’s excellent biopic hinges instead around his first major reinvention, when he plugged in his electric guitar at 1965’s Newport Folk Festival, the folk equivalent of the premiere of Stravinsky’s Rites Of Spring.

The film builds towards this climax by following the young singer (a superb Timothée Chalamet, capturing Dylan’s voice perfectly) at key steps along the way, from meeting heroes Woody Guthrie (Scoot McNairy) and Pete Seeger (Edward Norton) to relationships with Sylvie Russo (Elle Fanning) and Joan Baez (Monica Barbaro). In no way a hagiography, this hugely enjoyable portrayal sees Dylan’s enigma survive the experience intact.

Please Note | A COMPLETE UNKNOWN contains several sequences with flashing lights that may affect those who are susceptible to photosensitive epilepsy or have other photosensitivities.

Dir. James Mangold I United States I 2024 I 140 mins

Film screenings are subject to confirmation/change