_I’m Not There_, Todd Haynes’ Bob Dylan riff-meets-biopic, flirts with disaster at every turn, but somehow manages to keep it together. As disorganized as the film feels at times, the threads of wayward fame and poetic blues rarely get lost. A whirl of characters, plot lines and thoughts surround a Dylan who never wanted to be noticed (but then again, sometimes did).
The real standouts are Marcus Carl Franklin, an 11-year-old who evokes wisdom and authority as a traveling blues singer at the onset of his career, and Cate Blanchett, who is nothing short of a powerhouse: her gender-fucking performance is nuanced and biting. Also worthy of mention are Christian Bale who portrays Dylan (or perhaps an aspect of Dylan?) during his Christian phase and Richard Gere who wanders in as a lost hobo, but unfortunately, all too often borders on incoherence instead of irreverence.
Anyone searching for a Dylanology 101 might prefer _Don’t Look Back_ (1967) or _No Direction Home_ (2005) over this almost too-loose meditation, but in _I’m Not There_, the spirit of Dylan is more _there_ than it’s ever been.
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