Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)
.jpg)
Waiting for a movie to roll around is a tentative process, indeed. Especially when you have been excited about that film since the first trailer was gifted to the entire world. Even more so when preview screenings were met with critical furore and overseas audiences were foaming at the mouth in their earlier releases. You put so much pressure on the film that the anticipation soon becomes these many bars that it has to jump up in order to meet your expectations. Along the way, it is bound to fall or glide underneath your expectations in a disappointing manner. This is how Birdman felt to me. And now I have dug my claws into Alejandro González Iñárritu’s truly great film, I can honestly say that it was everything I wanted it to be and then some.
Birdman tells the story of Hollywood celebrity Riggan Thomson and his attempt to rejuvenate his career by writing, directing and starring in an adaptation of Raymond Carvers short story; What We Talk About, When We Talk About Love. However, with the production leaving him broke and each preview bringing new issues, Thomson begins to struggle. And it doesn't help that the ghost of his most famous performance, the titular superhero, talks to him daily.
Helming the acting, and certainly clasping those award nods with heroic reason, is Michael Keaton. He gifts the film this ferociousness that boils further with every bit of contention that Riggan is met with. Whilst captivating both the nativity of rebirthing an artistic reputation and the arrogance that all actors and artists embody, Keaton is able to layer the feathers of his character, and then bristle them accordingly. He is a powerhouse, weaving the journey of Thomson and his unravelling mind with magnitude. It's a truly stunning role that Keaton tackles and embodies, breathing life into the wrought moments and the more humorous ones unlike any actor. Birdman is Keaton's film, not just because of the self-referential nature and awareness. Keaton demands your full attention, gripping you into his talented tusk.
Directly opposite him is Edward Norton in an abash role. Whilst Thomson is the scourge of the theatre world, coming from a Hollywood background, Mike Shiner is the darling who is met with much admiration. Yet Shiner is the true obnoxious arsehole here whereas Thomson is attempting to do something important to him and is met with the backlash from his peers and family. In his role, Norton creates a character that thrives on the stage for purpose yet dabbles without sureness off it. Able to humanise what could easily be just a plot device, Norton enthuses Shriller with complexities and emotion. With Emma Stone’s superb role as Thompon’s daughter Sam, Naomi Watts as Lesley, Andrea Riseborough as Laura (the actresses of the show), Lindsey Duncan as film critic Tabithia (a moment to get excited that Duncan is getting more roles), Amy Ryan as ex-wife Sylvia and Zach Galifianakis, Birdman has an ensemble cast so much gusto and talent that all shine within this dizzying yet triumphant movie.
What Birdman does well...No, what Birdman does phenomenally… is battle different art forms against one another and ultimately, against the people who create it. At the core of this film is a war between the components of art and how actors, writers and even critics pull against one another in this unnerving and honest narrative. The film lashes its tongue against theatre, takes bites out of Hollywood, throws insults against the ego of artists and damns the audience with the same wielding sword. As well as this, the script and direction allows the human nature to rage bloody war against them all too including a side line debate between the greatness and awfulness of social media and the rise of instant critical fame. Through the eyes of Thomson, we can see ourselves and we damn ourselves too, alongside all the characters and issues involved. It's this intricate balance, weighting the different elements without over saturating them or abandoning one, that helps Birdman take flight - making it absorbing as you swallow all the glorious themes and question your own role within the film. Birdman courageously exposes the nature of it all - all the while, celebrating it too.
With the visuals, mainly the continuous shots as scenes roll into one another and flow through the inner workings of both cinema and theatre, Birdman is on another level of film. It surpasses it’s counterparts through originality and this booming voice, growling with Keaton’s cusps and quips. Iñárritu has created such an outstanding movie, worthy of all the praise it has received and then some. Whilst it is pretentious, it is a pretension that comes from an accomplished and focused director, willing to bare all he can in such a way that audiences and critics alike will leave cinemas feverish. Birdman is a film to come back to and explore each of its elements with wide-eyed splendour. As with each viewing, Birdman exposes another visceral vein that showers the audience with its bloody contents.