I’m Not There – several amazing portraits of Bob Dylan

Finally got out to see a movie tonight and what a movie it was.  I’m Not There directed by Portland’s own Todd Hayes is a remarkable achievement.  Using 6 different actors to portray Bob Dylan at different stages of his life, the movie shows Dylan not so much as someone searching for his identity but someone who might just know who he is but who is constantly moving and changing so as not to become stagnant and rigid, particularly in the eyes of the public.  The movie tries to say a lot about many things; identity, fame, what we can really know about ourselves let alone about a celebrity, yet the film pulls all these strands back together to form a coherent message by the end of the film.  Cate Blanchett portrays Dylan more effectively than anyone else as she depicts him during his ‘electric’ phase, struggling to deal with his fame and what everyone is asking of him.  This is a movie that I could watch again, there is so much going on.  I’d love to read a good biography and then come back and see it again.  If you like Dylan’s music and can handle non-linear storytelling, then you owe it to yourself to see this.