I'm Not There has garnered decent critical acclaim wherever it has played so far. It follows the life of Bob Dylan, with six characters embodying a different aspect of the musician's life and work.

Directed by Todd Haynes (Velvet Goldmine), the film stars Christian Bale (The Machinist), Cate Blanchett (Elizabeth), Marcus Carl Franklin, Richard Gere (Chicago), Heath Ledger (Brokeback Mountain) and Ben Whishaw (Perfume). The film was the winner of three prizes in Venice: The Cinemawenire Award for Best Film, the Special Jury Prize and the Volpi Cup for Best Actress for Cate Blanchett.

For Haynes this was a heartfelt project, as he became preoccupied by Dylan and also began to initiate changes in his personal life. Its Dylan's ability to change which appears to have sparked this. Its interesting of course not only to see different aspects of Dylan's life but also to see the different ways that varying actors have approached the role, and particularly good here are Heath Ledger, Cate Blanchett, Christian Bale and Marcus Carl Franklin.

Franklin solidly engineers the project, playing a young Dylan riding the trains for free armed with a guitar, a sharp mouth and wild abandon, Bale is protest Dylan who became interested in religion, Ledger is Dylan the husband who strayed, and Blanchett is the live Dylan from his Like A Rolling Stone era.

Added to those performers you've got Ben Whishaw reflecting on Dylan's interest in Rimbaud and finally even Richard Gere as old Bob with his later interest in American folklore and Roots music.

It's a great curioso piece complete with many of the songs that made Dylan great and it's sure to be of interest both to Dylan fans and those who loved the period. It should do well as an arthouse film on the back of the acclaim its received, and its well worth it for many of the performances involved, particularly if you're a fan of Dylan's music or just want to know a bit more about the mercurial great who appears to have inspired so many other songwriters over several decades.