There are many possible interpretations of Haynes’ film “ I’m Not There” and, while it is clear that it is inspired by the various aspects of Bob Dylan’s life and the events surrounding it there are also many unexplored aspects of the film that are left to the reader’s imagination. While it is clear cut that some of the character’s represent different facets of Dylan’s actual life, (Christian Bale, Cate Blanchett and Heath Ledger’s characters in particular) other characters that seem to exist outside the scope of Dylan’s factual life (Woody Guthrie and Billy the Kid) prove to be much more of a mystery regarding interpretation of the film. I believe that the characters serve as windows into the inner psyche of Bob Dylan, rather than mere reinterpretations of his life, and allow us to look at Dylan from different perspectives rather than just the events of his life.

The first character we are introduced to in the film is a young boy who calls himself Woody Guthrie, after the famous folk singer, a runaway and musician who rides the rails. The character is connected to the real life Bob Dylan by a fascination with the singer and represents perhaps what Dylan wishes his childhood had been, rather than growing up as part of the suburban middle class. A major plot point in the Jude Quinn portion of the film is the revelation of Quinn’s childhood as growing up upper middle class rather than the mystery shrouded childhood Quinn wanted audiences to believe he had, connecting Quinn (and Dylan) to the Guthrie portion of the film.

The final character the film includes is Richard Gere portraying a fictionalized version of outlaw Billy the Kid, presumably after escaping Pat Garrett (interestingly portrayed by the same actor who had exposed Quinn’s upper middle class heritage) and setting up a new life for himself. This aspect of Dylan’s life reflects his long time identification with the outlaw both within the film and in real life and also reflects his desire to remain outside the spotlight, symbolized in the film by Billy the Kid’s going into hiding.