A Complete Unknown’s encapsulation of the New York folk scene of the 1960s makes it the perfect double feature with a different musical drama by the Coen brothers. The best musician biopic to come along in a while,A Complete Unknownbegins with Bob Dylan’s arrival in New York City in 1961 and ends with his controversial decision to break out an electric guitar at the Newport Folk Festival (whichearned Dylan a comparison to Judas) in 1965. Along the way, the movie perfectly captures a tumultuous time in American history and a radical evolution in American music.
A lot of 2025’s Best Picture nominees have a perfect pairing for a double feature. As a quintessential American epic about an unscrupulous dreamer ruthlessly chasing his ambitions,There Will Be Bloodwould make a great double feature withThe Brutalist. As a gonzo body horror epic with a tragic underpinning,The Flywould makea great double feature withThe Substance. And as a touching, character-driven drama that captures the New York folk scene of the ‘60s and the struggles of a starving artist, the Coens’Inside Llewyn Daviswould make a great double feature withA Complete Unknown.
Inside Llewyn Davis Is The Perfect Movie To Pair With A Complete Unknown On A Double Feature
They Both Capture The ’60s Folk Scene Perfectly
Released in 2013,Inside Llewyn Davisis one ofthe Coens’ best movies. Set in 1961,Inside Llewyn Davisfollows a week in the life of a down-on-his-luck folk artist, played by Oscar Isaac. Llewyn spends his days scrounging for gigs and his nights crashing on friends’ couches. Just likeA Complete Unknown,Inside Llewyn Davisperfectly captures the ‘60s folk scene in New York and the trials and tribulations of a tortured artist. Sinceit ends with a young Bob Dylan taking the stage, it would perfectly lead into the beginning ofA Complete Unknownon a double feature.
Why The Music In A Complete Unknown Feels Different From Other Biopics
The music in A Complete Unknown feels different from other biopics — it’s much more authentic and atmospheric — and there’s a good reason for that.
A Complete UnknownandInside Llewyn Davisboth forgo the traditional Hollywood trappings of a plot;they’re more of a character study of a starving artist.A Complete Unknowncharts a transformative period in the history of the folk genre, while the closest thingInside Llewyn Davishas to a plot is Llewyn’s quest to find his friends’ missing cat and return it to them. This plot-light, character-heavy approach allowed the respective filmmakers to dig deep into their subjects andimmerse their audience in the historical milieu.
A Complete Unknown & Inside Llewyn Davis Were Both Inspired By The Same Author’s Work
Elijah Wald Influenced Both Movies
BothA Complete UnknownandInside Llewyn Daviswere influenced by the work of the same author: Elijah Wald.The Coens were inspired to makeInside Llewyn Davisafter reading folk singer Dave Van Ronk’s posthumously published 2005 memoir,The Mayor of MacDougal Street, which was co-written by Wald. While Llewyn’s abrasive, arrogant personality is very different from Van Ronk, the Coens used the book to get a feel for New York in that era and the community of folk artists performing in the Village at the time.
Elijah Wald’s other books includeThe Blues: A Very Short IntroductionandHow the Beatles Destroyed Rock ‘n’ Roll.
A Complete Unknownwas more directly based on Wald’s work;James Mangold and Jay Cocks’ script was adapted from Wald’s 2015 bookDylan Goes Electric!The book is more of a historical account, providing details on the actual events without digging into the personal stuff. Mangold and Cocks did some further research to round out the personalities of their characters, but Wald’s book formed the backbone of the narrative. Thanks to Wald’s insights,A Complete UnknownandInside Llewyn Davisare both impressively accurate in their depiction of the folk scene.
A Complete Unknown & Inside Llewyn Davis Both Combine Humor & Pathos
A Complete UnknownandInside Llewyn Davisdon’t just share their historical and cultural setting; they have a similar tone, too. They both combine humor and pathos,providing plenty of laughs without detracting from the drama.Inside Llewyn Davishas some great gags involving a missing cat, a heroin-addicted John Goodman, and a silly space-themed novelty song. But it also digs into the tragedy of the recent death of Llewyn’s singing partner and the difficulty of getting his career back on track following that loss.
A Complete Unknown couldn’t have made for a better double feature with Inside Llewyn Davis if it was intentionally produced as an official companion piece.
Similarly,A Complete Unknownis a moving drama that touches on emotional relationships, likeDylan’s on-and-off romance with Joan Baezand his mentorship by an ailing Woody Guthrie. But Mangold also imbued the film with a lot of humor. Edward Norton hilariously leans into Pete Seeger’s old-hat stuffiness in the face of Dylan’s artistic revolution, and Boyd Holbrook gives a really funny turn as a drunken Johnny Cash.A Complete Unknowncouldn’t have made for a better double feature withInside Llewyn Davisif it was intentionally produced as an official companion piece.
