Far from a biographical account, "I'm Not There", is more of an artistic interpretation of the different stages of the life of Bob Dylan. From celebrated folk singer to resented electrical guitar man, from loving father to cheating husband, or from brilliant, yet misinterpreted poet to confused drug addicted man of mystery. This film captures them all. Christian Bale, Cate Blanchett, Marcus Carl Franklin, Richard Gere, Heath Ledger and Ben Whishaw all portray the many sides/personalities/essences of one of music's most complicated and elusive poetic geniuses.

Make sure you are paying close attention to the early scenes in this movie as each of the different Dylan's (there are 6) establishes his or her role in the film. Things can get a little confusing as you struggle to figure out who all of these characters really are. They go by different names, have different careers, and are of different races, ages and genders, but all six are representations of Bob Dylan. Who he is, who he was and what he was trying to do with his music. What film creator Todd Haynes is striving for in this film is somewhat questionable...and whether or not he achieves his goal is even more questionable. Feeling lost and confused myself after watching the movie, I decided to pop in disc two in the hopes of finding some answers among the special features. Most clarifying of all is the "Dylanography" written by Robert Sullivan of the New York Times, which provides filmography, discography, bibliography, biography, chronology and more. Definitely check it out if you wish to further appreciate the strange artistic creation you have just witnessed. The most poignant statement that this feature makes is the following "Let's not bother with what it all means. No one on set seemed to know for sure, they all pretty much trust Haynes that it means something." I read on to discover that "I'm Not There" is NOT a film about Bob Dylan at all. It is in fact a Dylan film about "what Dylan is all about"..."which is changing, transforming, killing off one Dylan and moving to the next, shedding his artistic skin to stay alive." Haynes uses men, women and children, all of different eras, appearances and attitudes, to represent the story of one man's life. Whether or not he accomplishes this goal is left up to you, the viewer. If you are looking for a biographical straight-forward depiction of Bob Dylan's life, "I'm Not There" is not it. You may appreciate the music and the many aspects of Dylan's persona which are portrayed by the vastly different actors and actresses in the film, but do not expect any insight or clarity into the mysterious legend revolving around the name and life of Bob Dylan. "I'm Not There" only adds to and exemplifies the mysteries surrounding the man and his music.