WARNING: SPOILERS ahead for A Complete Stranger.
Bob Dylan's famous New York love interest, Sylvie Russo, based on real-life artist Suze Rotolo, separated from Bob Dylan following the events of A complete stranger. Starring Timothée Chalamet as legendary folk singer/songwriter Bob Dylan, A complete stranger was released under threats on Christmas Day 2024. The cast of A complete stranger also features Elle Fanning, Edward Norton, Monica Barbaro, Dan Fogler and Boyd Holbrook as Johnny Cash. Although the film is a biopic of the icon's rise to fame, A complete stranger changes several details from true stories about Bob Dylan's real life.
Directed by James Mangold Ford vs Ferrari and Logan acclaim, A complete stranger is widely considered one of the best films of the year. With a Rotten Tomatoes score of 79% and an audience score of 95%, A complete stranger is already up for several awards, including three Golden Globes for Best Film – Drama, Best Actor for Chalamet and Best Supporting Actor for Norton. The biopic follows Bob Dylan's early years as he arrives in New York and quickly becomes a local legend with the help of Pete Seeger. It also highlights Dylan's relationship with Sylvie Russo – whose real name was Suze Rotolo – and fellow singer/songwriter Joan Baez.
Suze Rotolo's life after breaking up with Bob Dylan
She traveled to Cuba and married a film editor
Suze Rotolo is the real person based on Elle Fanning's character Sylvie Russo in A complete stranger. Many of Suze's characteristics are still present in Fanning's portrayal of Sylvie, most significantly because she was one of Bob Dylan's first girlfriends and was considered a source of his inspiration. Suze Rotolo was also an artist and was the woman next to Dylan on the cover of his classic 1963 album, The Free Bob Dylan. She was in a relationship with Dylan until 1964. She was pregnant with Dylan's child in 1963, but ended up having an abortionwhich reportedly greatly affected their relationship.
Dylan's somewhat private affair with Joan Baez was also a major influence on his and Rotolo's separation in 1964. Dylan covered the separation in his song “Ballad in Plain D”, which he revealed he regretted writing many years later. In the song, he writes: “The wind is at my window, the room is wet / The words to say I'm sorry I haven't found it yet / I think about her often and I hope that whoever she has met / Will be fully aware of how precious she is.” Rotolo traveled to Cuba after his breakup with Dylan in 1964. She married Italian film editor Enzo Bartoccioli, with whom she has a son.
Suze Rotolo died in 2011 from lung cancer
She died at her New York home at age 67
Suze Rotolo died in 2011 from lung cancer at age 67. During the rest of her life, she was not always willing to open up about her relationship with Dylan, although she was repeatedly asked about it. It is commonly believed that Rotolo didn't want his life to be defined through the lens of Bob Dylanalthough, in a way, this had already happened long before his death and was somewhat inevitable. As portrayed by Fanning's Sylvie, Rotolo was a fierce activist and artist in her own light and never felt the need to bask in Dylan's overwhelming spotlight.
According to The Guardian obituary of Suze Rotolo, “Rotolo, who has died of lung cancer aged 67, was destined to become part of the Dylan legend: the girlfriend who inspired some of his greatest songs, including Boots of Spanish Leather, One Too Many Mornings, Tomorrow Is a Long Time and Don't think twice, it's alright.”After meeting Dylan, Rotolo”became much more than a passive muse” and “acted as cultural guide for Dylan, who had arrived in New York a few months earlier from rural Minnesota with a head full of Jack Kerouac and Woody Guthrie.” In this light, it seemed fate that Dylan and Rotolo met in New York in the early 1960s.
Why a complete stranger changed Suze Rotolo's name to Sylvie Russo
Bob Dylan personally requested
According to DeadlineBob Dylan personally requested that Suze Rotolo's name be changed for the sake of the film. Given the complexity and difficulties of their relationship, it makes sense that Dylan would choose to pay tribute to his famous first love in New York. Based on the lyrics of “Ballad in Plain D”, there was also serious friction between Dylan and Rotolo's family, which probably also had something to do with Dylan's request for the film. Yet, A complete stranger it would be inexpressible without the likeness and legacy of Suze Rotolo, which Fanning captures with moving grace in the Dylan biopic.
Sources: The Guardian, Deadline