DUBAI: From awesome animation to devastating documentary, here are our top films of 2025 to date.
‘A Complete Unknown’
Starring: Timothée Chalamet, Edward Norton, Elle Fanning, Monica Barbaro
Director: James Mangold
Chalamet gained deserved plaudits for his portrayal of arguably the greatest singer-songwriter in the history of modern Western music, Bob Dylan, in Mangold’s biopic — and he does a fine job, capturing the star’s fragile ego and magnetic charisma. But the true star of “A Complete Unknown” may be Barbaro as Dylan’s fellow folk-music star Joan Baez, she embodies Baez’s fiery nature, intelligence and talent brilliantly. Mangold navigates the many myths (often self-generated) surrounding Dylan to create an utterly convincing look at his early career, up to the infamous furor created when he turned his back on folk purism by using electric instruments. Biopics of musicians have a checkered past, but “A Complete Unknown” is definitely one of the good ones.
