‘A Complete Unknown’. What a Film About Bob Dylan’s Early Years Can Teach Us About Taking Risks, Ethics and Freedom.

4 minutes reading time

As many, I have loved the songs of Bob Dylan for years. So it was out of question that I went to watch the film ‘A Complete Unknown’ in the cinema when I got a chance to do so today. Not only did the screening leave me well entertained and deeply touched – I also appreciated how it shines a light onto some of the ‘big questions’ in life.

Taking Risks

The film starts with 19 year old, unknown, broke Bob arriving in New York with not much more than his guitar and a healthy portion of courage. He sets out to visit his musical icon Woody Guthrie in hospital and plays him a song he has written for him. He seems nervous and shy (not usual for him, as he states) but goes ahead anyway. An act of devotion and love, without ulterior motives. This step, uninhibited by fear or doubt, proves to be a deciding factor in his following career as one of the most successful musicians of all times.

A fine lesson in not letting the voice of doubt or fear obstruct a precious initiative.

Ethics

The film covers the topic of ethics in a variety of ways.

Firstly, the film documents skillfully how Bob’s unfaithful and neglectful behaviour in his love relationship leads to the inevitable break up and the regret which follows.

Secondly, and most importantly, the film not only tells the story of Bob Dylan, but also of social activist Pete Seeger, a prominent singer of protest music in support of disarmament, civil rights, environmental issues, and ending the Vietnam War.

He is portrait as a shining example of fighting tirelessly for what he believes in, without ever loosing his compassion or humour. One of the brilliant scenes in the film shows him in court for Contempt of Congress, offering the judge to play the song that brought him there in the first place – ‘for free’!

One of my favourite scenes in the film however must be how Pete tells Bob the ‘Parable of the Teaspoon Brigade’:

‘Imagine a big seesaw. One end of the seesaw is on the ground because it has a big basket half full of rocks in it. The other end of the seesaw is up in the air because it’s got a basket one-quarter full of sand. Some of us have teaspoons, and we are trying to fill it up.

‘Most people are scoffing at us. They say: “People like you have been trying for thousands of years, but it is leaking out of that basket as fast as you are putting it in.”

‘Our answer is that we are getting more people with teaspoons every day. And we believe that one of these days or years – who knows – that basket of sand is going to be so full that you are going to see that whole seesaw going “Zoop!” in the other direction. Then people are going to say, “How did it happen so suddenly?” And we answer: “Us and our little teaspoons over thousands of years.”

Our world is in need of a teaspoon brigade. Big times.

Freedom of the Spirit

The film shows brilliantly the shadow sides of being famous, all related to an intensification of sense of self: arrogance, projections, pressure, confusion. We witness these challenges as Bob falls into crisis, feeling disturbed and artistically inhibited. He rebels against these forces, refusing to give the audience what it expects, paying the price of being publicly rejected.

His refusal to adhere to the expectations placed upon him and instead keeping true to developping as an artist is a true joy to witness. Like at the start of the film the voices of fear and doubt do not have the power to obstruct his free spirit.

My primary responses after watching the film:

Get those teaspoons out, quickly.

And never dismiss the power of taking a step into the ‘complete unknown’.

If you plan to watch only one film in 2025: look no further.