BY: HEATHER CEE

If you're a Dylan fan, this is a must-see. If you're largely unfamiliar, his albums should be your introduction, then follow-up with viewings of D.A. Pennebaker's "Don't Look Back" and Martin Scorcese's "No Direction Home". Some say you don't need a solid Dylan background to enjoy this movie - maybe, but you will experience an entirely different film than those that do. Part of the inherent joy in "I'm Not There" is catching those split-second visual references, those sly winks to the audience that Haynes subtly works in without ever tripping over into obnoxiousness. Yes, the film is non-linear and a little arty, and could stand to shave off 30 or so minutes, but it's never incoherent. I'd be hard-pressed to name another 2007 film that captured my imagination and adoration quite like this one did. As a music fan, it was gratifying to watch a celebration of the ragtag spirit of rock shot through the kaleidoscope of (arguably) its most purposefully cryptic son. Any artist of worth would be well-served by a director with even half the vision Haynes displays here.

And speaking of kaleidoscopes, the 2-disc companion album to "I'm Not There" is a tour through the Dylan catalog with a bus full of indie rockers, including Arizona's own Calexico. Only a handful of these songs can be heard in the film, but that doesn't make it any less enjoyable. Just as Haynes assembled some of music's most ambitious musicians to serve as the backing bands of Curt Wild and Brian Slade in "Velvet Goldmine," he's pulled together the uber-impressive line-up of Nels Cline (The Geraldine Fibbers, Wilco), John Medeski (Medeski, Martin & Wood), Lee Ranaldo and Steve Shelley (Sonic Youth), Smokey Hormel (Beck, Smokey & Miho), and Tony Garnier under the name The Million Dollar Bashers, and they back up to an equally impressive string of singers: Cat Power, Eddie Vedder, Stephen Malkmus, Tom Verlaine (!), and Karen O. Calexico fills in similar duties on the compilation's stronger contributions, including the aforementioned "Goin' To Acapulco" with My Morning Jacket's Jim James (one of my favorite voices ever), as well as Willie Nelson, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Iron & Wine, and Roger McGuinn.

I have a friend who loves Leonard Cohen's songs, but only when other people sing them; many feel similarly about Dylan, so if you're looking for a gentle introduction, you could do worse than this soundtrack. These are faithful, straightforward renditions, and though Stephen Malkmus can't match the contempt of Dylan's original delivery on "Ballad of a Thin Man," the version included here still rocks, as do tracks from Yo La Tengo and Mark Lanegan. Antony & the Johnsons' take on "Knockin' On Heaven's Door" is gorgeous, and you get two versions of the title track, one by Sonic Youth and the other Dylan's original. Definitely worth keeping an eye out for.

And if you've always been curious where to start with the Dylan catalog, a casual poll of Bookmans staffers reveals the common thread of "Blood on the Tracks," "Blonde On Blonde," "Highway 61 Revisited," "Bringing It All Back Home," and "The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan." Pick up any of these and you can't go wrong. "Biograph," which we often see on vinyl, is also not a bad place to jump in if you're looking for an overview.

"I'm Not There" is currently playing at the Loft Cinema.