Timothée Chalamet Transforms Into Bob Dylan in “A Complete Unknown”

In 1961, we initially encounter the cantankerous and introverted young Dylan, portrayed by Chalamet, as he is crammed into the backseat of a vehicle speeding towards Manhattan at the age of 19. He has departed from his midwestern birthplace on a mission: His hero, the trailblazing folk musician Woody Guthrie (Scoot McNairy), is recuperating in a psychiatric facility located in nearby New Jersey, and Dylan is resolute in his desire to meet him. Soon, he achieves this goal, serenading Guthrie with a straightforward melody on his guitar—the moving “Song to Woody,” which would later be included on Dylan’s self-titled debut album within a year’s time—and capturing the admiration of Guthrie, alongside his visiting acquaintance and fellow luminary, Pete Seeger (Edward Norton).