Katelyn Benschoter-

2025 has been a big year for film and an even bigger year if you are a music lover. The film A Complete Unknown follows Bob Dylan, well known for starting his career in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and his rise to fame. The film has been critically acclaimed and highly anticipated by many. And, despite being late to the party, I finally watched the film. I really enjoyed A Complete Unknown and found it highly fascinating. Whether you are a Dylan fan or not, this film is worth your time; you may just find a deeper appreciation for music after.

A Complete Unknown is in the music biopic genre, also seen in films such as Bohemian Rhapsody (2018) or Rocketman (2019) –both receiving mixed reviews. The genre is built on quick montages and directors being forced to decide what aspects of these legends live or get left out of the film. While these films are usually fun and filled with music, they often do not get critical praise. But despite the reputation of biopics, A Complete Unknown defied the odds and received not one but eight Oscar nominations. The surprise success of this film is similar to Dylan’s career. So why is this? Well, perhaps it was simply a better film than the others. I think it was due to the fact that this film drifted away from the typical structure of a biopic. Instead of attempting to capture the entirety of Dylan’s life from birth to present day, they honed in on a particular period of his career. The film only covers 1961-1965, rather than his whole life. This period was his rise to fame and, in particular, followed his appearances at the Newport Folk Festival. While some may be saddened to not learn more about his youth or about his time in Minnesota, I think the focus on his rise to fame allowed the story to function in a different way. Most biopics have to feel rushed and cannot linger on a single storyline for too long. But in A Complete Unknown, the film’s plot can function without relying on the fact that it is about a famous musician. The story could be about anyone and still be fascinating. This approach allowed the film to be more accessible and generally a better film. 

The film also brought some big stars to the film, like Timothée Chalamet and Elle Fanning, which brought in a wider audience. This can also be a common pitfall that biopics fall prey to: bringing in big stars to attract attention to their film. The point of the biopic is to find an actor who resembles and can capture the artist’s life, and some biopics choose fame over likeness in actors. Despite being one of Hollywood’s current “it boys,” Chalamet did a great job. From Dylan’s mumbling voice to outgrown nails, he committed to the role and delivered. And if I am being honest, I think that Chalamet was snubbed during award season for his portrayal of Dylan. Chalamet was not the only actor who delivered in the film; Fanning’s portrayal of Sylvie was heartbreakingly beautiful. She was with Dylan from the start of his career and, like so many musicians, watched as he found other women on the road. Yet through it all, she stayed by his side. While Fanning played a generally small role in the film, her character added a lot of emotional quality to the film. Last but not least, the breakout star of the film was Monica Barbaro, who played Joan Baez. Barbaro sang all of her own vocals and even learned how to play the guitar just for this role. And boy, did it pay off; her performance was beautiful. Her take on the famous folk musician flowed so well with the rest of the film while completing the love triangle of Dylan and Sylvie. All in all , the casting was wonderful and helped bring the story of Bob Dylan to life wonderfully. 

While a biopic’s job is to tell the story of a legend, there is a lot to be taken away from A Complete Unknown. The most fascinating aspect of the film for me was the theme of genre defensiveness. The film follows as Dylan progressively gets more famous and creates his own take on the folk genre. Fellow musicians like Pete Seeger get offended and want him to stick to the roots of folk music. This is seen especially when Dylan decides to use an electric guitar instead of an acoustic one. Genres are not something that we often consider, but rather, they merely exist. It’s actually rather hard to consider our world without them. The film begs the question of why get defensive when someone new comes in and helps grow the genre? Should we get defensive over something like this? In my opinion, genres are more limiting to both those making and consuming the music. Dylan changed the genre in a lot of ways, and he brought in an entirely new crowd. In the long run, it is easy to recognize the value of Dylan’s contributions to the genre, but people hate change, so it took some time. In general, A Complete Unknown tells the story of Bob Dylan’s rise to fame, but it really made me reflect on the way our music is today, and even more so, why music is the way it is.

2025 has been a big year for film and an even bigger year if you are a music lover. The film A Complete Unknown follows Bob Dylan, well known for starting his career in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and his rise to fame. The film has been critically acclaimed and highly anticipated by many. And, despite being late to the party, I finally watched the film. I really enjoyed A Complete Unknown and found it highly fascinating. Whether you are a Dylan fan or not, this film is worth your time; you may just find a deeper appreciation for music after.

A Complete Unknown is in the music biopic genre, also seen in films such as Bohemian Rhapsody (2018) or Rocketman (2019) –both receiving mixed reviews. The genre is built on quick montages and directors being forced to decide what aspects of these legends live or get left out of the film. While these films are usually fun and filled with music, they often do not get critical praise. But despite the reputation of biopics, A Complete Unknown defied the odds and received not one but eight Oscar nominations. The surprise success of this film is similar to Dylan’s career. So why is this? Well, perhaps it was simply a better film than the others. I think it was due to the fact that this film drifted away from the typical structure of a biopic. Instead of attempting to capture the entirety of Dylan’s life from birth to present day, they honed in on a particular period of his career. The film only covers 1961-1965, rather than his whole life. This period was his rise to fame and, in particular, followed his appearances at the Newport Folk Festival. While some may be saddened to not learn more about his youth or about his time in Minnesota, I think the focus on his rise to fame allowed the story to function in a different way. Most biopics have to feel rushed and cannot linger on a single storyline for too long. But in A Complete Unknown, the film’s plot can function without relying on the fact that it is about a famous musician. The story could be about anyone and still be fascinating. This approach allowed the film to be more accessible and generally a better film. 

The film also brought some big stars to the film, like Timothée Chalamet and Elle Fanning, which brought in a wider audience. This can also be a common pitfall that biopics fall prey to: bringing in big stars to attract attention to their film. The point of the biopic is to find an actor who resembles and can capture the artist’s life, and some biopics choose fame over likeness in actors. Despite being one of Hollywood’s current “it boys,” Chalamet did a great job. From Dylan’s mumbling voice to outgrown nails, he committed to the role and delivered. And if I am being honest, I think that Chalamet was snubbed during award season for his portrayal of Dylan. Chalamet was not the only actor who delivered in the film; Fanning’s portrayal of Sylvie was heartbreakingly beautiful. She was with Dylan from the start of his career and, like so many musicians, watched as he found other women on the road. Yet through it all, she stayed by his side. While Fanning played a generally small role in the film, her character added a lot of emotional quality to the film. Last but not least, the breakout star of the film was Monica Barbaro, who played Joan Baez. Barbaro sang all of her own vocals and even learned how to play the guitar just for this role. And boy, did it pay off; her performance was beautiful. Her take on the famous folk musician flowed so well with the rest of the film while completing the love triangle of Dylan and Sylvie. All in all , the casting was wonderful and helped bring the story of Bob Dylan to life wonderfully. 

While a biopic’s job is to tell the story of a legend, there is a lot to be taken away from A Complete Unknown. The most fascinating aspect of the film for me was the theme of genre defensiveness. The film follows as Dylan progressively gets more famous and creates his own take on the folk genre. Fellow musicians like Pete Seeger get offended and want him to stick to the roots of folk music. This is seen especially when Dylan decides to use an electric guitar instead of an acoustic one. Genres are not something that we often consider, but rather, they merely exist. It’s actually rather hard to consider our world without them. The film begs the question of why get defensive when someone new comes in and helps grow the genre? Should we get defensive over something like this? In my opinion, genres are more limiting to both those making and consuming the music. Dylan changed the genre in a lot of ways, and he brought in an entirely new crowd. In the long run, it is easy to recognize the value of Dylan’s contributions to the genre, but people hate change, so it took some time. In general, A Complete Unknown tells the story of Bob Dylan’s rise to fame, but it really made me reflect on the way our music is today, and even more so, why music is the way it is.

All in all, whether you are a music lover or not, this film is excellent. I love films that are enjoyable, easy to watch, and offer so much to take away. A Complete Unknown checks all of these boxes. And Dylan is from Minnesota after all, so as a Minnesotan, you are basically required to watch this film.All in all, whether you are a music lover or not, this film is excellent. I love films that are enjoyable, easy to watch, and offer so much to take away. A Complete Unknown checks all of these boxes. And Dylan is from Minnesota after all, so as a Minnesotan, you are basically required to watch this film.