I'm Here, but I'm a little Confused

My second ever trip to the Saratoga Film Forum occurred on Thursday with the viewing of the Bob Dylan biopic, I’m Not There. I’ll get to the movie in a second, but first I want to deal with the Film Forum itself. In a previous blog post I lambasted the Film Forum for having the excitement and diversity of the Republican Party, and now I want to scale back my earlier comments.

On Thursday night I was one of eight kids from my graduating class, and it might have been nine kids except I’m not positive about one girl. Granted, four of the kids had been unaware I’m Not There was playing at the Film Forum until the night before when I told them about it, but this definitely begins to demonstrate the overarching potential of the Film Forum. It also points to the fact that the Jesse James film had a narrow audience, and that broader films can attract bigger crowds. I’m not saying the Film Forum should appeal to the lowest common denominator of society, but instead it should serve as a tool to lift up society, which it could start doing if it did a better job advertising its existence and what is playing.

Now that I got that off my chest I need to admit that I didn’t love I’m Not There. I get what the movie was going for, as it explored the various aspects of Bob Dylan’s personality that defined him, but the general lack of continuity hurt the overall viewing experience. It’s nice to see how the various sides of Dylan complement each other, and while at points they’re woven well, some scenes are cut together poorly and ruin the flow.

Of Dylan’s different personalities the most enjoyable are those portrayed by Cate Blanchett, who received a supporting actress nomination from the Academy, and Marcus Carl Franklin. Blanchett represents Dylan after his electric guitar performance at a Folk Festival, and captures Dylan’s rebellious and antagonized persona of the time. Franklin’s portrayal is even more interesting, as he brings to life Dylan’s early folk background and innocence. Franklin is also the only star of the film to show up on the Soundtrack, with an excellent rendition of “When the Ship Comes In.” I found myself nodding off during the late Heath Ledger’s performance, but I did love the introduction of his character. He is playing an actor portraying another one of Dylan’s personas, who then comes to represent Dylan’s failed first marriage and Dylan as a celebrity.

This is not an easy movie to sit through if you’re not a Bob Dylan fan, and even then you better be a real fan that appreciates the full body of his work. The director is obsessed with Bob Dylan, and he made a movie for people obsessed with Bob Dylan. When I think back about the movie I can recognize its simply beauty and brilliance, but I can’t shake the feeling that I was bored to tears during the movie, which my dad can attest to since he checked multiple times to see if I was awake. That may not sound like a ringing endorsement, but I’m glad I saw it, and I’d recommend it for anyone who wants to go for an interesting ride.