Plot: What’s it about?
If I could say one thing about “I’m Not There” that should make anyone reading this review anxious to see it, it’s that it kept me completely intrigued for the entirety of its 135-minute running time. This is no small feat considering that the film is a purposefully ambiguous, disorienting, and radically unconventional biographical mosaic of the “music and many lives” of Bob Dylan, a musician in whom I came to this film with very little interest. That’s not to say that the movie’s premise didn’t interest me from the moment I first saw its trailer, however. The idea of portraying a single man’s life through the mannerisms and varied contexts of several different actors (and even an actress a blisteringly effective portrayal by an Oscar-nominated Cate Blanchett) seemed a fascinating experiment, and I’m pleased to say that, for the most part, it’s a successful one as well. “I’m Not There” won’t open anyone’s eyes to the man (or men) Bob Dylan was (or is), but it will certainly do nothing if not enhance the iconic nature of the artist and what he means both to the music world and to himself.
There is very little in the way of a traditional plot in “I’m Not There”, a side effect, I suppose, of composing such a straight character study of a film. There is, one could argue, a beginning, middle and end, but there’s not really a setup or even a real climax in the way movie audiences are used to seeing. But in general, it’s a gamble that pays off in spades. You’re thrown directly into all the varied takes on Dylan right from the start, and once you’ve watched enough of the film to gather your bearings, you’re both bizarrely interested and irreversibly hooked. At least that’s what happened when I sat down to watch it. I was taken aback by the sheer audacity of Todd Haynes to attack this subject in such a surprisingly untraditional way. It made a subject that, for me, wasn’t particularly riveting and turned it into a jigsaw puzzle of motives and motif, lives and loves, intensity and apathy. I have to give credit to the film for knowing precisely what mood it wanted to convey right from the very beginning, and I found it a daring thing indeed for a piece of cinema to blatantly deny the audience any of the easy answers that one might naturally assume were forthcoming.
Unfortunately, I can’t recommend this film to absolutely everyone out there. It’s just too purposefully unclear about what it wants us to take from it in the end that I fear many will either misinterpret or (worse) misjudge the film based on the false expectation of this being a more straightforward portrait of a man who’s motivations so clearly defy that kind of simplistic categorization. This is the thinking person’s biopic, but it’s also a bit frustrating for those of us actually paying close attention. The facets of Dylan’s personality don’t really directly intersect and, as Haynes himself points out at some point during the commentary track, you don’t leave this film with any more grasp on who Dylan was or felt than when you began. At once, this is the film’s greatest strength and weakness. In going the route of the indecipherable artist profile, “I’m Not There” taunts its target audience with even its title. Those coming to this movie with a desire to see an audacious, ambitious piece of tour-de-force filmmaking won’t leave it disappointed. Those going in expecting to emerge on the other side with a better understanding of Bob Dylan could potentially find this a difficult pill to swallow. But don’t say you weren’t warned: ironic as it may seem, he’s not here, either.
Video: How does it look?
“I’m not there” makes its DVD debut is a very fine 2.35:1 transfer. While the very style and documentary-esque nature of this film make a truly objective assessment of the image difficult, it should hardly disappoint any but the most nitpicky of enthusiasts. Colors are bright and vibrant when on display, and black levels inky and deep. If I had to say anything against the quality of this presentation, it did appear a bit soft to my eyes from time to time, but to be fair, I could be misjudging this disc after being spoiled by the visual splendor that is all-too-often often Blu-ray Disc. Compression here is very good if not consistently perfect, but again, I may be a bit biased against SD at this point and scrutinizing it a little too closely. All in all, I found the image here pleasing and true to a film-like appearance. Skin tones seem to be accurate as well. The best compliment I can give this video presentation is that it makes it crystal clear that this film would look positively smashing in hi-def. Subtitles are available in English and Spanish.
Audio: How does it sound?
The Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack of “I’m Not There” does a serviceable job, though I found the mix to be far more subdued and front-heavy than I would have imaged given the subject matter. That’s not to say that there’s anything particularly wrong with the mix, it’s just not a very aggressive one all things considered. Dialogue is clear and directionality of the mix is fairly well rendered, but there’s no real punch here like I might have expected from a movie like this. Surrounds are employed, but very sparingly. It’s not a deal-breaker, but the soundtrack on this film comes up a bit short, especially given the stellar video presentation it accompanies. In a nutshell, this track gets the job done, and I can’t knock it down too far as such, but don’t expect your eyebrows to rise.
Supplements: What are the extras?
Disc one of “I’m Not There” features an absolutely excellent commentary track by director and co-writer Todd Haynes. It’s been a long time since a commentary track has garnered such praise from the likes of me, but Haynes is quite obviously enamored with and passionate about his subject here, and he has a lot to say about virtually every aspect of the production. Fortunately, this includes a great deal of waxing philosophical over what each character of the movie is meant to represent and how the fictional world represented onscreen relates to the real Dylan and what was happening at that point in his life. It’s truly an interesting listen that’s one of the best tracks of its kind that I’ve heard in years. Also included is an option to skip to parts of the film by song as well as by scene and an introduction to the film. Comprising disc two, we have a few very brief deleted scenes and alternate / extended scenes which are really throwaway pieces that were understandably excised. An outtakes section is here which is really a rather disappointing gag reel. Also included in the set are a few character auditions, a trailer gallery (including one unreleased trailer), still galleries, a short video of the red carpet premiere, a video tribute to the late Heath Ledger and a “Dylanography”, which details the artist’s film, music, and literary career. The “Conversation with Todd Haynes” portion of the extras is a surprisingly long 45-minute montage of interviews with the director. Think of it as the making-of documentary we don’t really get, and a rather good extension of the commentary in its own right. Lastly, “Making The Soundtrack”, running around 20 minutes, shows how the filmmakers were able to create the music for the multiple interpretations of Dylan’s music throughout the film. All in all, this is a very solid supplementary package, sure to delight fans of the film. Recommended.
