I was more impressed by the film's technical aspects than its narrative. Mangold has returned to the vibrant color palette he employed in Identity (2003), departing from the muted tones of films like 3:10 to Yuma (2007) and Logan (2017).
The visuals, captured with Sony Venice cameras at an ISO of 12800, create a stunning New York composition.
Those who, like me, have seen Todd Haynes' I'm Not There (2007) won't be claiming that Timothée Chalamet "became Bob Dylan," despite his undeniably strong performance.
However, Monica Barbaro truly embodies Joan Baez.
Certain shots in the film so closely resemble Bob Dylan's photographic archive that I found myself exclaiming "I've seen this photo!" over thirty times throughout the viewing. It's as if there was no script, and an AI was simply tasked with creating a film using chronologically arranged Bob Dylan photographs. Bob Dylan collectors like myself might particularly enjoy seeing the photographs from the album sleeves come to life.
Yes, this is an excellent biopic, but that's largely due to the dearth of well-made biographical films that aren't filled with decontextualized anecdotes.
And yes, this is a superb New York film. The technical achievements I mentioned earlier contribute to a magnificent depiction of the era's New York. I suspect the film's Oscar prospects might lie in these categories.
Incidentally, while Chalamet claims to have performed many of the songs himself, there's a clear technical enhancement in the vocal delivery.
The truth is, the Coen Brothers' Inside Llewyn Davis (2013), despite its understated narrative, captures the era, the people, and the New York depicted in this film far more effectively, and in monochrome. I hadn't realized how deeply Inside Llewyn Davis (2013) had resonated with me until I saw this film.
