Review of I'm Not There (2007) by Joe F — 03 Nov 2009

More "Finnegans Wake" than "Across the Universe," Todd Hayne?s semiotic anti-biopic of the elusive cultural artifact known as Bob Dylan is a fragmentary illumination of, not the man, but the notion.

The deep-seated Dylanology that Haynes saturates his film in makes it impossible for the uninitiated to enjoy. The film rambles with the incandescent, poetic grace of a Dylan song, constantly mixing metaphors and mosaic sequences to a degree of near-equivocation.

The film alludes to the known events, perceived legends, and lyrical interpretations of Dylan's work and transposes them into a unique cinematic language. One cannot discern the aptitude of Hayne's film until they?ve: 1) become aware of several key phases in his life, and 2) accepted the entity?s genius.

The entity whose abstract lyrics can be read and heard as great poetry; that deconstructed the conception of celebrity in the form of cubist rearrangement; that can alter his voice from a nasally whine to a baritone's croon; that epitomized genres, and then promptly left them.

If you don?t understand the significance or genius of Dylan that?s fine, just make sure you realize that you couldn?t possibly understand 'I?m Not There'.