I'm Not There

what a sensational film!

I've already seen this film last year in the cinema. Back then, I knew nothing about Dylan except for knowing that he was famous in rock music. So, as I was watching the film, I was just confused about what the film was all about. They just seemed very strange and crazy to me. I guess it does for a lot of people, even for Dylan's fans, and I'm not a Dylan fan. Towards the end of the film, I finally realised that Bob Dylan was divided and embodied into six frictional characters. At that point, I thought to myself "what a great idea!" Too bad that I've already missed too many details in the film.

I wake and I'm one person, when I go to sleep I know for certain I'm somebody else. I don't know who I am most of the time.

So a year later, I listen to more music, watch more films and know a bit more about Bob Dylan from the music course I took. I borrowed the movie and watched again, twice actually. I watched the film again with director's commentary right after. It grew on me when I watched again. I think it's interesting to get more insides of the films that I like.

People actually think I have some kind of a fantastic imagination. It gets very lonesome.

This film really challenged people, unlike conventional biopic movies. Just like what Bob Dylan did going electric from folk. The concept is perfect. The film touches so many aspects of Dylan's (our) life on love, religion, politics, family, friends, status quo, and a lot more. As for a complex man like him, I think the film covered the most it could. Among the star casts, I was fond of Charlotte Gainsbourg's role. She was special in this film. I also like Ben Whishaw's role very much. After all, every actors were all great, making this film a masterpiece.

I accept chaos. I don't know whether it accepts me.

But what really differentiated this film from the rests, is the way the film represented. Director Todd Haynes really had a vision and did a wonderful job. I would said it is an experimental film, yet a very good experimental film. He played around a lot with movie techiques and these techiques were not new. He really took some influences from Godard and Fellini, and just threw them into the film. The film at first may seemed chaotic, but it's actually not, just excessive. It carried too many ideas and stories. For me, this is not just a tribute to Dylan's life and music, but also to other great directors and poets.

It's like you got yesterday, today and tomorrow, all in the same room. There's no telling what can happen.

Seven simple rules of going into hiding:

1. never trust a cop in a raincoat.
   
2. beware of enthusiasm and of love, both are temporary and quick to sway.
   
3. if asked if you care about the world's problems, look deep into the eyes of he who asks, he will never ask you again.
   
4. never give your real name.
   
5. if ever asked to look at yourself, don't.
   
6. never do anything the person standing in front of you cannot understand.
   
7. never create anything, it will be misinterpreted, it will chain you and follow you for the rest of your life.

Sonic Youth - I'm Not There