A Complete Unknown
Warning: this article contains spoilers for A Complete Unknown
James Mangold’s new Bob Dylan movie,A Complete Unknown, is drawing a surprising comparison to the biopic of a completely different music icon.Timothee Chalamet stars as Bob Dylanalongside several remarkable actors who play real people involved in Dylan’s life in the early 1960s.
Despite only having been released on December 25, 2024,A Complete Unknownis already breaking box office recordsand receiving Oscars buzz.
In fact,Chalamet is considered one of the top contenders for a Best Actor Oscarnomination and is currently favored to win, confirming just how good he is in the role.
However, Chalamet is not the only Oscar-worthy talent behindA Complete Unknown, as director James Mangold has previously shown his skills as a biopic director.
In 2005, Mangold directedWalk the Line, a Johnny Cash biopic, which was nominated for five Oscars and saw Reese Witherspoon take home the Best Actress award.
In fact,A Complete Unknownactually features Johnny Cash as well, thoughJoaquin Phoenix did not reprise his role as Cash.
However, the similarities continue, as both movies feature one very similar scene that changes the singers' futures.
A Complete Unknown & Walk The Line Both Use Performances Of “It Ain’t Me Babe”
These Performances Are Pivotal To The Stars' Relationships
Strangely enough, Mangold used Bob Dylan’s song “It Ain’t Me Babe” in important scenes in bothWalk the LineandA Complete Unknown19 years apart.
In Mangold’s new movie,Bob Dylan and Joan Baez perform the song as a duet while at the Newport Folk Festival.
A Complete Unknown is a biographical movie that follows a young Bob Dylan as he integrates with New York and catches the eye of the folk singers in the area, eventually propelling him into stardom.
When the tension between the two artists becomes visible toDylan’s girlfriend, Sylvie Russo, she finally decides to leave him.
Thus, “It Ain’t Me Babe” serves to mark the end of Dylan and Russo’s relationship, which had been declining for some time.
Though Phoenix and Witherspoon create a magical and fiery combination during the performance, the camera’s glances towards Cash’s wife, Vivian Liberto, remind the audience that the singer’s feelings will have consequences.
Likewise, inWalk the Line,a duet performance of “It Ain’t Me Babe” marks Johnny Cash’s growing affections for June Carter.
While touring and performing together, Cash and Carter begin to have feelings for each other, and their performance of the Dylan song makes their chemistry crystal clear to the audience.
Though Phoenix and Witherspoon create a magical and fiery combination during the performance, the camera’s glances towards Cash’s wife, Vivian Liberto, remind the audience that the singer’s feelings will have consequences.
“It Ain’t Me Babe” Has Different Outcomes In A Complete Unknown & Walk The Line
The Song Helps Portray Relationships Beginning And Ending
Since the lyrics of “It Ain’t Me Babe” ultimately point toward the dissolution of a relationship, the duet between Bob Dylan and Joan Baez inA Complete Unknownfeels very fitting.The song affirms that Dylan is not what Sylvie Russo is looking for in a partner, and his chemistry with Baez just confirms his past infidelity.
Sylvie’s decision to leave the festival and Dylan shows that “It Ain’t Me Babe”, which was reportedly written about her, works perfectly to get Mangold’s message across in that scene.
James Mangold and Boyd Holbrook talk about how the discovery of Johnny Cash and Bob Dylans letters led to a major book change in A Complete Unknown.
However, inWalk the Line, “It Ain’t Me Babe” actually has the opposite effect on the lives of the movie’s main characters.
While June Carter and Johnny Cash had met and become friends previously, their duet cemented their romantic interest in each other.
Whilethe two later ended up getting married, the scene also creates a precursor to Cash’s divorce from his first wife.
19 years later, the use of “It Ain’t Me Babe” allowed James Mangold to subtly link his two films while simultaneously creating essential moments in bothWalk the LineandA Complete Unknownthat are important in the characters' journeys.
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A Complete Unknown is a biographical movie that follows a young Bob Dylan as he integrates with New York and catches the eye of the folk singers in the area, eventually propelling him into stardom.
