I'm not there

I haven’t written anything in a long time and I missed my chance of writing about the best (and worse) of 2007. However, I feel it is my duty as a viewer to praise in a very enthusiastic manner the excellent ‘I’m not there’ by Todd Haynes. I understand that Cate Blanchett has got a Golden Globe in the mail for her cynical Bob Dylan and in my view it is entirely well deserved, although I must say that, if Blanchett gives the movie its artistic singularity and originality, Christian Bale delivers very good, serious acting. I loved his singing (or lip synch, should I say) and his clipped, determined voice, very similar to Dylan himself. But the movie is not just an emulation of Bob Dylan. It is perhaps a reflection, homage, an artistic interpretation not only of his life but also of his work. The songs are rendered in an emotional (non cheesy, may I add), relevant way and they just make sense. And it is fun to guess which character is inspired by which real person (which in the case of Joan Baez/Julianne Moore is sooo easy, and I’m sure it’s on purpose). The end sequence, with Richard Gere in small townville, is just visually stunning albeit all the cryptic surrealism, which can perhaps also apply to the sequences with a character called Rimbaud (the name sounds familiar…).
It’s a great movie to watch even for those who are not hard-core Dylan fans like me. The soundtrack is great as well and it offers a really good opportunity to go through Dylan’s songs to understand what really made him the icon that he is. However, previous to seeing this movie, I had watched the Scorsese’s documentary ‘No Direction Home’, which really helps understanding this movie. I had some idea of Dylan’s life before watching the movie and the plot became a bit easier to follow. I guess it would be hard to understand what was going on otherwise.
I loved this movie because I hadn’t watched a proper “arty” beautiful movie in a very long time. And ‘I’m not there’ is all about music, art and being an artist. And I must also point out that I loved the previous Todd Haynes ‘bioptic’ (if I can call it so), ‘Velvet Goldmine’. A lot of people hate it (some of my friends do). I love it, so FORÇA, TODD!
My expectations for 2008 lie all with the Coen Brothers – No Country For Old Men. I saw ‘The Man that Wasn’t There’ again recently and I was blown way. Again.