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A Complete Unknown

A Complete Unknown

Drama · Music · 2024

New York, early 1960s. Against the backdrop of a vibrant music scene and tumultuous cultural upheaval, an enigmatic 19-year-old from Minnesota arrives in the West Village with his guitar and revolutionary talent, destined to change the course of American music.

Movie details

A Complete Unknown

“The ballad of a true original.”

2024 Drama · Music 2h 21m

Critical arithmetic

One number, for now.

TMDB

7.1 / 10

Community rating

New York, early 1960s. Against the backdrop of a vibrant music scene and tumultuous cultural upheaval, an enigmatic 19-year-old from Minnesota arrives in the West Village with his guitar and revolutionary talent, destined to change the course of American music.

CriticWise case file

What this film says about your taste.

Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.

The archetype split

Who fights over A Complete Unknown?

The split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.

Taste neighbourhood

Nearby on the taste map.

TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.

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tick, tick... BOOM!

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Where it lives

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Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

James Mangold

Written by

Jay Cocks · James Mangold

Timothée Chalamet

Timothée Chalamet

Bob Dylan

Edward Norton

Edward Norton

Pete Seeger

Elle Fanning

Elle Fanning

Sylvie Russo

Monica Barbaro

Monica Barbaro

Joan Baez

Scoot McNairy

Scoot McNairy

Woody Guthrie

Dan Fogler

Dan Fogler

Albert Grossman

Boyd Holbrook

Boyd Holbrook

Johnny Cash

Court is in session

Put A Complete Unknown on trial.

Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.

The defence The Prestige Tourist

“Sincerity is not manipulation.”

The film risks embarrassment to make emotion communal, and that openness is harder than fashionable detachment.

The prosecution The Popcorn Loyalist

“The strings are showing.”

Every cue tells you exactly what to feel and when, leaving sentiment to do the work character should have done.