I'm Not There

"God, I'm glad I'm not me."


****

I really don’t know what to say about this film. By the end, I wanted to go back and watch it again…partially to see why I didn’t really enjoy the first half of the film (save a few sections)…and partially because it kind of blew my mind…just a little.

Basically, this movie is about Bob Dylan…but its not about Bob Dylan…its about 6 Bob Dylan’s…and none of them are called Bob Dylan. It’s the man and the myth…rolled up into one crazy trip. And it is a trip. Its 6 stories…but its also one story. Very interesting stuff really. Not all of it works in my opinion…I think the ‘haze’ like quality of the film is both a blessing and a curse, and caused me to get antsy when I was just getting into one ‘face’ of Dylan, to have the mirror shift and see another version in front of me…and probably requires a couple of viewings to really understand (and that’s a tough thing to ask a non-fan of Dylan or these kinds of films).

Both Cate Blanchet and Heath Ledger were awesome in their roles. Hats off. I really don’t think I gave the film a fair chance at the start…partially from my own indifference to his music…and also because of the confusing progression of the film. In fact, I don’t really like Bob Dylan…and I still don’t…but I think I have a bit more respect for him as an artist and a writer (and to a lesser degree how he handled his celebrity) after having seen ‘I’m Not There’…

…but then again, was that really Bob Dylan?