STORY STUDY - MEDIUM: FILM “I’m Not There”

Poet; prophet; outlaw; fake; "rock and roll martyr"; "star of electricity". Six diverse characters symbolizing one icon.

Directed by Todd Haynes, written by Haynes & Oren Moverman, and inspired by the music & many lives of Bob Dylan, I’m Not There tells six stories of the aforementioned characters living their life. These ranges from different decades within the same world, though they never meet each other. They range from being poets, singers, actors, to the literal outlaw Billy the Kid.

Each story, for the most part, is shot in a unique way. A character has their own framing device, such as the police interrogation for Arthur Rimbaud, the poet or the documentary film for Jack Rollins, the prophet.

The film is very much an acting piece, and everyone does a great job, but the standout is Cate Blanchett as Jude Quinn. I think it’s because this time period of Dylan’s life is the most famous one, so it has more personal attachment for the audience and the director. I could be very wrong about this, but it’s how I saw it.

Speaking of Bob Dylan, his name is never mentioned once in this film, which might benefit for a newcomer of this film. I don’t know much about music, especially music history; Bob Dylan is a name that has popped up now and then, and really the only time I heard his music/songs were by watching other films who used it, like the previously covered Watchmen and the soon-to-be covered Steve Jobs. The story (or stories) stands on its own, and that’s what should matter.

I came across the film because Blanchett’s performance was widely acclaimed. I can’t remember if it was because of the Oscars show, where she was nominated, or I just passed by the DVD of it, and it said she was nominated. I did watch the trailer for it, and it seemed fascinating. In any case, I felt like purchasing it without ever watching it previously, and hoped for the best. The film came out in 2007, and it turns out I was at a TERRIBLE age to watch this film. It doesn’t flow in the traditional way of storytelling, and the stories themselves are very personal, which to me at the time was very unengaging.

As the years went by, I began to develop an understanding of these kinds of auteur films. I’m Not There has clear, character-driven stories to tell, so they’re easy to follow. Some of them are very downer, and probably only fans of Bob Dylan will understand what is going on. It also doesn’t help that the audience mostly ignored the film, so it’s hard to tell where it stands today.

But as acting-driven films go, it’s a fascinating take on a person’s life that goes beyond a traditional biopic, and I hope more like this are done in the future.