The faces they are a-changing in biopic

Buy photos » I’m Not There offers a challenging portryal of the life and persona of Bob Dylan. (s)

A CHALLENGING portrayal of the life of legendary musician Bob Dylan will launch a new season of films at the Splendid Cinema in Worcester.

I’m Not There (15) is a remarkably ambitious film by Todd Haynes, exploring the life of a legend and forms part of the Bob Dylan Worcester Weekend.

The screenings are being held tonight (Friday) at 7.30pm and on Saturday at 1pm in the Worcester Arts Workshop on Sansome Street.

While not a straightforward biography, I’m Not There features six different actors - Christian Bale, Cate Blanchett, Marcus Carl Franklin, Richard Gere, Heath Ledger and Ben Whishaw - playing different aspects of Dylan’s career and persona.

Haynes developed the concept of the film in order to reflect the impossibility of understanding the life of an artist like Dylan with a straightforward narrative.

It was only by breaking the story apart, into various fictionalised persona, which the writer/director felt reflected distinct aspects of the Dylan myth.

Haynes wanted to make a film which went beyond what people already know about Bob Dylan.

It is a difficult and challenging film, but the performances make the film accessible and Cate Blanchett in particular has been praised for her role, including an Oscar nomination.

This was also one of Heath Ledger’s last films, released two months before the actor’s tragic death. The film also features, in supporting roles, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Julianne Moore, Michelle Williams and the great Kris Kristofferson.

Tickets for the screenings cost £5 on the door and the box office opens 30 minutes before the film starts.

Café Bliss is also open for a pre-show treat. For more information on any of the cinema’s films contact Mikel Koven at splendidcinema@live.co.uk