Some background, for the unfamiliar. The movie is about Bob Dylan. It uses 6 different actors to portray these different sections of his life...the young wanna-be, the gospel singer, the protest singer, the electric guitar, the old-hermit type, and some other things including an actor who plays one of the Dylans in a biopic and a strange interrogation. Acting as Dylan are Marcus Carl Franklin, Christian Bale, Heath Ledger, Richard Gere, Ben Winshaw and Cate Blanchett.

So it's this unconventional biopic about this unconventional man, and it's pretty easily the most evocative, exhilarating, powerful and fascinating biographical film I've ever seen. Todd Haynes takes just about everything, period, and either uses it to make the film, or explores it in the film. Everything from documentary and fiction and verite and avant garde; stark black-and-whites and beautiful era-appropriate colors; voice over, surrealism, film noir, westerns, European art-cinema, (including lots of Godard ), conventional biopic staples and pretty much any other style imaginable. All of this and more, comes together to form probably the most aesthetically pleasing and technically interesting film of this, or most years.

It's about fame and vanity, politics and society and government and war, philosophy and thoughts. Love and death and hate and lies and truth. Poetry and music and art and nature and drugs. There are moments (however fleeting they may be) that touch on pretty much every subject and emotion you could possibly want.

And throughout it all, it manages to paint a lovingly celebratory portrait of this amazing guy. I feel like I know more factually, and empathize more with Dylan after this film than I do with any other 'celebrity' figure I'm familiar with. All the facts you "need to know" are still present, they're just wrapped up in all this wonderful technique and content. You get a complete overview of a particular man and, as a bonus, this wonderful enigmatic legend, the "essence" of Dylan, if you like. Both views work alone, in contrast and hand in hand, depending on how you look at it.

Much has/will be said about the acting, particularly Cate Blanchett's turn. Good. It's all great. I loved Marcus Carl Franklin, the little kid who plays "Woody". He truly sells this juxtaposition of child-playing-adult and true, aged profundity. Cate Blanchett's Dylan is as good as they say. She's feminine, but you don't really think "That's a girl," and you certainly don't think "That's Cate Blanchett." She's just completely overwhelmed by and lost in this character, and it's truly remarkable to watch. Ledger's and Bale's versions don't really stand out, but they're good. Gere's story was probably my favorite part, especially during the Halloween town-meeting thing. The other guy, Ben Winshaw, is really really good, and might get the best lines to deliver, but his character never gets to do more than sit and talk.

Anyway, I don't even know what all that says now, but I'm hoping it says "I'm Not There is amazing. Go see it." Because ultimately, you really do have to see it for yourself.