I'm Not There

            Todd Hayne’s film I’m Not There could be considered quite simply to be a film about Bob Dylan and his life and career. However, as any good and innovative filmmaker does, Haynes takes a simple biopic and turns it into an abstract look at the different personalities and character traits that make such an illustrious icon tick. Haynes uses several different characters, parts of which the audience guesses to represent different aspects of Bob Dylan’s personality, to portray the man as a whole. For example, Haynes uses Richard Gere as Billy The Kid to reflect on the “outlaw” personality that is Bob Dylan. Also, Haynes parallels the stories of a young, black folk singer and a hip, emerging rock star to tell a specific story about Dylan’s struggle to find himself in his music. The young, black folk singer is told to “sing about his own time,” which Haynes parallels nicely with a British rock star struggling to discover if he is a political, folk hero, or a loud and brash rock icon. Of course, this aspect of the film could be interpreted as representing the period in Bob Dylan’s career where he struggled to define himself. While being labeled a “sellout,” Dylan struggled to determine what kind of artist and musician he really was.

Ultimately, I think Todd Haynes’ film is about identity. It’s about how no character is a simple one, and that all of us, especially a famous rock musician, are layered and complex human beings. Technically, I’m Not There is quite cleverly a lot like Dylan’s music. Although, it may seem complex and elaborate, often times it is clean and straightforward.