I'm Not There: A Cinematic Representation of the Ambiguity of Truth and Identity

The film I’m Not There (Todd Haynes) takes a very schizophrenic approach to direction, writing, and cinematography. The idea behind this very conscious decision demonstrates a very interesting and philosophical point-of-view on the psychology of humans. The movie plays off of the common misconception that one can find any one truth. No one thing can be pinned down due to the paradoxical nature of both the public’s differing views on controversial issues and of personal identity.
This concept is made most apparent through the musician Jude Quinn (Cate Blanchett). Throughout Jude’s entire storyline, he discusses ambiguity in the way of his motives, sincerity, meaning, etc. In one scene, Mr. Quinn discusses with the British press how people have their own meanings for even the most common of words. A reporter says, “I believe we all know the meaning of “people.”” to which Jude Quinn simply replies, “Do we?” This raises philosophical questions regarding whom which social groups consider considering as equals. If that sounds confusing, stop and think. It is not difficult to understand how such a question reflects upon the time period they are referring to. Keep in mind; this is Vietnam, race riots, Civil Rights Movement, Musical revolution, etc. The idea is that as newgenerations replace the old, mind-sets change, and so do the implied meanings of words that stretch well away from strict dictionary meanings. And it all ties in with Jude Quinn’s final discussion where he explains that mysteries and contradictions are an ever-present evil of the human race that no one should ever separate themselves from. Life is not a formulaic matter and cannot be expressed in such Black & White terms
These exact same examples can be incorporated into another point made by multiple characters. The incorrect idea that anything the media says can be accepted as truth. Jude Quinn makes multiple points concerning media literacy. All of which come together on the stance of anti-commercialization of ideologies. Robbie Clark (Heath Ledger) talks about how “they took away the meaning” when referring to musicians. Ironically, he himself was the acting as Jack Rollins while filming a scene for a movie. This is a simple portrayal of how meaning is lost in the mass-media industry’s pursuit of a buck.
When you take these rather elaborate messages and take them all into consideration, you reach an interesting conclusion that there is no such thing as a single truth or identity. When it comes to any character’s identity, no one really knows who they are, wants people to know who they are, and/or where they stand on moral issues. Mr. B (Richard Gere) hides the fact that he is Billy the Kid. “Woody Guthrie” is not actually Woody Guthrie and doesn’t write songs concerning his views on the issues facing his generation. Of course, there are plenty more. However, the big red flag for the idea is when Arthur (Ben Whishaw) is being questioned by the panel. His character only really comments on the idea of ambiguity in truth and identity. The clincher is the speech on Seven Things to Do When Hiding.
Ultimately, this means that even the title, I’m Not There, literally means, when asked, people cannot have a 100% nailed-down view of themselves and the no amount of political discussion resolves any issue 100%. Now, any one can feel free to say what they want about how this applies to Bob Dylan. The main thing is that there is a deeper issue in the film, one that delves into the human psyche.