While it may have been denied the Oscars it deserved at the 97th Academy Awards, the recent Bob Dylan biopic, A Complete Unknown, starring Timothée Chalamet was still an incredible testament to Dylan’s career and the start of his epic musical undertaking. Nominated for eight Oscars including Best Actor, Director, Adapted Screenplay, Costume Design and various tech categories, this film was worthy of Dylan’s great historical moment in the evolution of folk music and the beginning of folk rock.
The film, in which Chalamet portrays Dylan, honored Dylan’s revolutionary mind and was completely deserving of each Oscar nomination it was granted. The biopic follows Dylan’s journey from his humble encounters with his inspiration, Woody Guthrie, to his discovery and mentorship with folk singer Pete Seeger, as well as his interactions with fellow musicians such as Johnny Cash painted a great picture of the well-known yet mysterious singer.
A Complete Unknown also touches on some of Dylan’s romantic interests and does a great job at portraying a lot of the backlash Dylan faced when he was trying to diversify his music and incorporate electric instruments. It was a very relatable scenario to how people respond negatively to change and things that are different; or unknown.
Historically, Bob Dylan had such unique talent and prized lyricism that transpired into Chalamet’s performance in the film. His peaceful and inquisitive nature is shown through Chalamet’s well-rounded depiction and invokes the emotional weight in each moment. Throughout the movie, Dylan incorporates new sounds, new instruments, and new musicians into his repertoire leading up to the pinnacle event; the Newport Folk Festival.
In this final movie moment, the crowd goes wild, and not in a good way, over Dylan venturing out into Folk Rock and inspiring a new genre. This vulnerable moment in which Timothée Chalamet mirrors the historical event in which Dylan gets booed off the stage for switching up his sound could have been an Oscar-winning moment for Chalamet on its own.
The suspense and the angst conveyed in that scene had all the movie magic required to win an Oscar. It also holds such an important message that Dylan went on to play his music anyway at this concert, which is now some of the music he is most known for. It’s such a great example of following one’s heart, adapting to the times, and leaning into one’s art no matter what the consequences. This can be reflected in the way many other artists face backlash for switching genres or attempting to.
@billboard #Timothee Chalamet is nominated for Best Actor tonight at the #Oscars for his portrayal as Bob Dylan in #ACompleteUnknown 🤩 #oscars2025 #timotheechalamet #bobdylan #bestactor #awardshow
♬ original sound – billboard
For example, Taylor Swift has shown us that she is a multi-faceted powerhouse throughout her career, yet, for a while, critics slammed her for trying to change lanes. Kacey Musgraves has also shifted back and forth between Country and Pop and we’ve all seen the very talented Coldplay successfully straddle many alternative, indie, and pop genres – sometimes all in one album. The same critiques that Dylan faced are still evident today and strive to put these amazing musicians in boxes. Although the last scene of A Complete Unknown unfolds quickly, it is important to highlight that Dylan stays true to himself. He knew his worth and talent and didn’t deviate from the path of success, the art he forged and the future he could imagine for himself and this emerging genre.
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